#yeah it's not really a drabble but I couldn't leave 'em up a tree

[lajulie24]

Into the Woods

So, if you’ve already seen this, I’m reposting it in text format. Originally it was in response to an ask that @chancecraz sent me, but I made the mistake of putting a “read more” link in it and...Tumblr put the read more link at the top of the ask so nobody could see anything but the question unless you clicked. I tried to fix it but to no avail, so...here we go! Attempt #2!

chancecraz asked:

For the minific reblog, Han/Leia  B. Under cover of darkness.

Thank you for your patience! This started out a drabble and turned into something a bit longer, which is part of why it took a while. Hope you enjoy! (And for folks who have already sent me prompts, I’m getting to yours...I promise.)

Prompt: B. Under cover of darkness

Into the Woods

It felt like the night would never fall; the sunset seemed endless, the sky taking its sweet time to change from gold, to burnt orange, to red and deeper red, to violet. Waiting for the purple to deepen, for dusk to turn to night, felt even longer, especially in the cramped corner where they stood, waiting.

Leia was vaguely aware that in another life, the trappings of their current situation might seem almost romantic. Standing together by the window, Han’s body right behind hers, their eyes on the sunset and the darkening sky that followed. The sky was beautiful, the air humid but not stifling, the scent of the honeyblossoms rising up to meet them. She could feel Han’s breath on her, feel the warmth radiating from his body.

But the fact that her nerves were all straight at attention had much less to do with any feelings she might have for—or about—her current companion, and everything to do with the Imperials running a room-by-room search of their lodging house. Once it was dark, they’d have to move quickly.

“Okay.” Han’s voice in her ear was soft, deep, reassuring. They’d said next to nothing to each other for the past forty minutes, but Leia had been hyperaware of his presence, and it felt like he’d been the same.

“Yes,” she agreed.

They moved quickly, did a quick check of the window and any sight lines, took turns shimmying down the pipe just outside. No words, just eyes and nods and the two of them stealing away to the wooded area just down the road.  

The honeyblossom smell was stronger there, the forest itself a tangle of trees and vines. That was both a good thing and a bad one; if they took care to crawl through without leaving an obvious path, the snarl of vines and foliage would hide most evidence of their presence, but taking care to crawl through would also take precious time. And darkness had fully enveloped the sky now, adding a further degree of difficulty.

Han led the way, and their silence with each other continued, punctuated only by the bend and snap of branches around them, as well as the occasional huff of breath that in normal life would have been a Corellian swear word. Leia herself was boning up on her Alderaani curses in her head, particularly after the third occurrence of a vine snapping back to hit her in the face.

At last, they reached a clearing, or as close as they were ever going to get to one. Leia emerged from the thicket to find Han surveying the area around a large tree as if it were an abandoned alley on Nar Shaddaa. It was still so, so dark, but her eyes had adjusted enough that she could still see his head bob in its usual nod, indicating the way was clear.

As they made their way through this next section of forest, the trees cleared out enough that they could see pieces of sky above their heads again, glimpses of blue-black and the pinpoints of stars. It felt like a setting for a fairy story, escaping the clutch of flowering vines to travel among the ancient trees, the ominous giant not in sight but always steps away.

And then Han stopped, and looked up.

Lost in the woods was Leia’s fleeting thought; it fit with the setting, the fairy tale. They’d traveled a long time without checking their position, just moving, always moving, pushing forward, getting away.

But they weren’t lost, not really. Lost people looked around, looked back. Han was looking up. Struggling to view enough sky through the branches to read the stars.

Well accustomed to having to having her view obstructed, Leia looked around for options. It looked like the foliage opened up a little, further up into the canopy of trees. The first sturdy branch, she judged, was still a little too high to shimmy; perhaps with some help—

“Han,” she said, and his head turned from the sky back to her. “Boost me up.”

He looked concerned, kept sneaking glances back at the sky, like he might miss something important and she was distracting him. “Won’t do you any good,” he explained. “’M just tryin’ to—“

She laughed softly before cutting him off. “I’m looking for the same thing you are. You think you’re the only one’s ever been outside, flyboy?”

He still looked a little skeptical, but he hoisted her up far enough to reach the branch, and she climbed up further to get a good look.

She’d missed this, scaling trees, getting up high enough to see, really see the landscape around her. Han was right, you couldn’t see enough on the ground from here to be useful, it being so dark, but it was nice to be higher just the same. And she’d been right about getting a better view of the stars.

She tested the next branch, making sure it could hold her weight, then settled in enough to take stock of what direction they’d been heading in. Letting the stars talk to you, as one of her guides used to say.

She didn’t much want to come down.

The trunk shook slightly, and Leia knew that she had company. “Don’t trust me?” she asked.

Han’s eyes were barely visible in the dark, but she could feel them on her anyway. “Nah,” he said casually, as if he crawled through thickets and scaled ancient trees on a regular basis. “Wanted to see, too.”

She pointed out what she’d already marked in her head, suggested a direction. It was settled. Still, neither of them moved. Kept looking up.

“Had trees like this on Yavin. You ever climb one there?” he asked.

“No,” she said. “We weren’t there long enough.” She’d noticed the trees there—it had seemed somehow appropriate, her parents’ memorial nestled in the shade of the huge branches that surrounded the temple—but she’d been too busy and too heartbroken to take time to explore them then.

There was a low hum in the forest, with nightbugs making their song. Han was quiet for longer than usual, like he was taking a deliberate pause. Then his voice was soft: “Alderaan?”

He was being careful, but it felt better than the kind of careful she usually got from people, people who acted like the name of her homeworld was the secret word that could never be uttered again, lest its curse infect you with sorrow. This kind of careful was good. More like…gentle curiosity.

“We had forests like these in Aldera,” she said. “I lived in one, once. For like a week.”

The branch Han was resting on shook, just enough to rustle the leaves a bit. “I’m sorry, what?”

“I lived in the woods.”

“With your folks?”

“No, by myself. I ran away.”

She could hear Han chuckling a little. “You bring a chef with you? Guide?”

Leia kept her eyes on the sky, remembering. “No, just me.”

“And they let you stay out there for a week.”

Leia smiled a little, recalling the burst of stubborn pride she’d felt even as she was being reprimanded. “It took them a week to find me.”

“And how old were you?”

“I was nine.”

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Han sounded impressed.

It was quiet for a few minutes, the nightbugs sounding again. They probably should be going soon, getting another few steps ahead of their pursuers. But neither of them moved.

“You’d like Kashyyk,” Han said, like he’d never left off from their earlier conversation. “Trees like this, but older, bigger. They live in the trees there, y’know.”

It did sound like a place Leia would like, honestly. It also sounded like a place Han missed, was almost homesick for. Which was interesting, given that it was Chewie’s homeworld, not his own.

“Have you been there a lot?” she asked.

“Yeah. Used to. Least I could do, y’know, since Chewie’s always with me. Haven’t been back in a while, though.”

Because of the Rebellion. Because you’re here, instead.

Leia lifted her head again to look at the sky. The stars were the same across the galaxy, but the view changed, the stars spoke differently, depending on where you were when you looked up.

She turned back to Han, found his eyes in the dark. Thought of the mythical firmament, the dome containing the moons and the stars within them.

It was time to come back down.

Leia smiled. “Come on, hotshot. Let’s make some time and I’ll tell you the rest of the story.”

Send me a character I write and a drabble prompt for a minific!

[adramaticbeauty]

You killed me Min. You killed me :') But thank you for my first ever ask girl, even though it was out of pity😂

Enjoy❤

Double Date?

Gruvia/Nalu drabble

Don’t you think Gray and Juvia have been getting a lot...closer lately?" Lucy questioned as she stared at the pair across the guild.

Juvia was blabbering away as Gray tried to look uninterested but nodded, confirming he was.

“It just seems like we haven’t heard from him in a while since he’s always around Juvia now. I wonder why that is.”Lucy hummed.

"I don't know, but whatever it is I'm glad it's keeping ice freak away. He'd stay away if he knew what was good for em'."Nastu grumbled out as he chomped on another chicken bone. 

Lucy sighed. He just didn't get it. Lucy suspected the lack of Gray around was because him and Juvia were dating. All the clues pointed to it! After all, Gray and Juvia would always walk out the guild at the same time, and would even go on missions together. Of course he would still talk to her and Natsu, but he seemed different. He seemed...happier.

It was like he was a different person now. Like he would smile a lot more often. A genuine smile. And that might be because of love. What if Juvia and Gray were doing more than going on missions and walking home together? Lucy smiled as a mischievous idea popped in her head. 

"Natsu, do you want to help me spy on Juvia and Gray to see if they are dating? Anything… even a kiss on the cheek will confirm my suspicions."

Natsu made a disgusted face as he swallowed his huge bite of chicken.

" Gray dating? No way! He wouldn't. He's too stubborn to ever date Juvia. Besides he's taking so long with Juvia, I wouldn't be surprised if her love faded away by now."Nastu snickered. 

Lucy bopped him on the head with the Sorcerers' magazine she was reading earlier.

"You're lucky I didn't leave with how long you took! Everyone suggested I move on with my love for you because you were so oblivious!" 

Lucy glared, shaking her head in disappointment.

Natsu growled as he glared back." How was I supposed to know you liked me when you're always hitting me!"Natsu retorted.

Lucy blushed and averted her eyes away from Nastu's gaze. She did always overreact a bit...she would have to get better with that.

" Anyway I think Juvia and Gray are dating, and I'm going to get proof. Are you in?" Lucy asked, still watching Gray and Juvia in the corner of her eye.

"I don't think they are dating. It will just be a waste of time!" Natsu frowned crossing his arm.

"How about...we make a bet on it? I will give you 100 jewels if I'm right, and you give me 100 if I'm right." Lucy suggested, with a smirk on her face.

Natsu thought about it for a second before giving his signature grin.

"You're on!"

Gray closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. He had hardly been listening to Juvia as he racked his brain for a way he could ask her out. Of course Juvia had always been the one to ask to go with him somewhere, but he had always agreed as friends. This time he wanted to ask her out himself. In a...romantic sense. Not as friends. 

And he needed her to understand that after everything she had done for him, he would start taking her more seriously,as he promised. It already took him long enough to realize something very important. He loved all of Juvia. From the way she bit her upper lip when she was nervous, or how she cutely puffed out her cheeks when she was slightly annoyed, he finally understood that he really loved this woman. 

 She was selfless,confident, loving and everything about her was gorgeous. Something he had tried not to notice for a while. He had always turned a blind eye to it. He had constantly fought his feelings for her.

But he had to take this opportunity to claim her before she was taken away forever. He would never forgive himself if that were to happen. Gray had even decided on the place he would ask her to go. The aquarium. He knew Juvia would like it since she adored animals. Plus water. Like, duh.

He had been planning to ask her all day but he didn’t have enough courage. He knew she would say yes but it was...embarrassing. And he couldn't help but think of the worst possible scenario.

“ And then the puppy bit Juvia! But of course she couldn’t get mad because he was just too cute! So when-”

“Hey...uh, Juvia?”

“Huh? Oh,yes Gray~sama?” 

Her  gleaming sapphire eyes turned to look at him, and Gray felt his throat go dry. The nervousness grew in the pit of his stomach, eating him alive.

” Do you want to...go to the um...I mean-” 

“Oh, Gray~sama an aquarium opened near the park! Did you want to go with Juvia?"

Gray’s mouth dropped open, but he quickly closed, determined to keep his cool.

"I mean there’s nothing else to do around here. Sure.”

Gray mentally face-palmed after he heard the words that flew out of his mouth. Why did he always have to make it seem like he was disinterested in everything?

As the pair got up to exit the guild, Lucy was silently following them with her eyes.

”Natsu! They’re leaving!! Let’s go!” Lucy excitedly shook the sleeping dragon slayer.

”Lucy stop- Alright I’m up geez!”

 As Juvia and Gray walked down the cobblestone street toward their destination, Lucy and Natsu trailed behind. They occasionally hid behind a tree or bush they came across. She always had to pull Natsu down to hide with her,since he wasn't one for stealth.

Gray and Juvia finally came to the front of the building to pay for their tickets. Gray asked for 2 tickets and as Gray was about to pay, Juvia touched his forearm and gave him her sweetest smile.

" Don't worry Gray~sama. Juvia will pay for herself." 

"But Juvia I can-"

"Gray~sama, it's fine."

 She then handed the man some jewels she grabbed from her purse and collected her ticket. Gray sighed. The date was already not going the way he thought it would. That's if Juvia even knew it was a date. What if she didn't know it was a date, and thought it was just another friendly outing?

Gray internally moaned. Why did things have to be so hard when it came to Juvia? He had to tell her.

 "Hey Juvia-"

" Come on Gray~sama! Juvia wants to see the fish!" She was excitedly jumping up and down, her curls bouncing behind her.

He just sighed and smiled to himself.

Lucy was hiding in a bush as she saw Gray and Juvia walk in the pale white building. Lucy gasped as she patted her pockets in desperation.

"Natsu, I left my money at home! Do you have some to pay for the tickets? I promise I'll pay you back for mine."

 Lucy glanced over to Natsu as she seen him glaring through the bushes.  He answered without even turning to look at her.

"Hell no. I spent all my jewels on food at the guild. Remember that chicken bone? I had to pay for it somehow."

Lucy groaned in irritation.

"Seriously what are you even good for!"

"Hush Lucy. I'm thinking of a plan to get us into that building."

Then Nastu's eyes lit up as a mischievous grin graced his lips. Lucy flailed her arms in panic. 

"No Natsu! Whatever it is, I don't wanna!"Lucy whined in retaliation.

"Too late now." He said, as he slung a squirming Lucy over his shoulder.

"Let's go, Lucy!"

Juvia gasped as she looked around in awe. She ran up to the glass and pressed her small button nose against it, peering into the blue colorful mass of water. She had a glint of wonder in her eyes as if she were a kid.Gray smirked as he observed her. It was funny that Juvia still acted as if she had never seen water or fish before, yet she was a water mage. 

"Gray~sama look! Juvia sees a shark!" Juvia pointed excitedly at the glass. Gray squinted through the water, and looked for any signs of movement.

He then spotted the gray blur.

"Oh yeah, that's a mako shark."

Juvia giggled in amusement, a sound that made his stomach fill up with butterflies.

"It's funny, because Juvia never really liked sharks." She whispered more to herself than Gray. 

She smiled slightly looking into the crystal blue water.

"Really? I think they are pretty cool." Gray shrugged. 

"Of course you do, Gray~sama. They are kinda like you! A bit mean acting, and bites a lot!" Juvia covered her mouth to hold back a giggle. 

"Hey! I'm not that mean…sometimes..."Gray struggled retort.

" Of course not Gray~sama. Juvia was only kidding." She smiled and sent him a playful wink.

Gray scoffed with a roll of his eyes but hecouldn't hide the smile creeping on his face. Juvia looked forward, still watching the brownish shark glide through the water.

" Sharks tend to feed on fish that are weak, sick or injured. Even if that is the food chain, Juvia doesn't like it." She glanced down at the floor and smiled to herself.

" It reminds Juvia of her time in the orphanage. When the little boy's used to pick on Juvia for her rain she couldn't control. Or when the headmistress would punish Juvia because she flooded the crops a lot. Juvia was definitely weak back then…" She trailed off. 

She still had that slight smile on her face, but her face was twisted in a hint of sadness. Gray could tell this was getting hard for her. He had forgotten about her bad past at the orphanage. How could he have forgotten something so important about Juvia?

"Juvia we can leave if you don't want to stay. I mean I didn't know that-"

"Juvia is really fine! She is over it...she just thinks of it sometimes, that's all." She put on a warm smile, but Gray couldn't help but notice the tears at the corner of her eyes. 

The next thing he knew, he was holding Juvia in his arms. Her breathing halted, as her eyes widened.

She felt the warmth of Gray's, muscular, toned arms around her. The way he smelled of rosewood and lemongrass was intoxicating to her. Gray didn't want to let go.  His arms around her just felt so...right to him. Her curly, blue hair was as soft to the touch as he always imagined.

He finally snapped back to reality and quickly pulled away. He blushed crimson as he ran his hands through his messy black hair. He couldn't make himself look at her. Not when his heart was going a mile a minute. And certainly not when he could still smell the scent of raindrops and roses. His cheeks burned as she stared up at him with confused eyes.

"Gray~sama…."

" Oh I heard they opened up another exhibit for a stingray. Let's go check that out." Gray mentioned, trying to change the subject. Juvia frowned as she trailed behind him.

"Natsu you better not drop me!!" Lucy cried as Nastu climbed in the open window on the side of the building, with her draped over his back.

"I'm not going to drop you Lucy! Stop whining already-" Natsu was cut off with Lucy squirming in his hold. Natsu's grasp started to slip.

" Lucy you're gonna make both of us fall! You're already heavy enough as it is!"

"That is so rude Natsu!" Lucy whined. 

Finally they made it inside the building by sliding through the open window. They seen the backs of Juvia and Gray walking toward another room.

" This has to be a date! Gray wouldn't take just anybody here!" Lucy told Natsu.

" I bet Gray couldn't have thought of such a nice date place anyway." Natsu snickered.

"On our first date you took us to your dirty house to 'hang out'." Lucy said, staring at Natsu with a dead-panned expression. 

"Yeah. It was great wasn't it Lucy?" Natsu replied.

Lucy rolled her eyes as she looked back at the pair. Gray's cheeks were really red for some reason. And Juvia had a slight pout adorning her pale pink lips. 

"I wonder what's going on…" Lucy thought.

"Ughhhh,I'm bored! When are we gonna stop spying?" Natsu groaned.

"Hush Natsu! They are gonna hear us-"

"Hey, what are you doing here!!? I didn't see you guys pay up front!" They saw a man with the exact same outfit as the ticket collect outside, pointing an accusing finger at them. That must be another worker!

"Well time to go!" Natsu grabbed Lucy's hand. He sprinted towards Gray and Juvia, with a fumbling Lucy behind him. 

" Are you guys dating? Hurry up, we are about to get kicked out." Natsu huffed. 

Gray felt anger and a furious blush rise on his cheeks. Why would they ask them something so explicit?! Besides he never even told Juvia he had meant for this to be their date!

Juvia had surprised eyes and gaped open mouth.

"Natsu-san…" Juvia managed to croak as she covered her blushing face with her hands.

She waited for Gray to confirm what he always said. That they were just friends. This was normal between them. He was just being nice as usual. But if she went on a rampage like normal and claimed they were dating, it would push Gray away even more. But Gray didn't say a thing.

"Juvia...isn't dating Gray~sama! You're so silly Natsu-san." Juvia said as she plastered on an awkward smile.

Gray's heart dropped. He didn't know why he expected her to say something else. He had never told her this was a date in the first place, so why was he even expecting anything else?

"Yeah. I mean why would you think that? You know me and Juvia have only been friends for awhile Natsu. Stop being an idiot." 

Juvia could feel the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. Hearing it outloud was even worse than her assuming it.

"You have to pay to get in you know!" The angry ticket collector yelled, storming over to them.

"Let's run!" Natsu yelled behind him, already halfway to the open window. 

"Natsu- hey wait!"

Lucy said breathless as she ran behind him. 

"Gray~sama, let's go too?" Juvia gave him a playful smile as ran after the escaping Nastu and Lucy. 

They finally made it outside and started sprinting away from the building. After a while, they finally stopped to catch their breaths. 

All of them panting  heavily Lucy looked behind her.

" Wow, that guy seemed really angry. I got scared for a second." 

Juvia and Lucy met eyes, and for a second, they just smiled. Then they immediately started giggling. The boys looked at them like they had grown a second head.  Then Natsu started to laugh. Gray let out a hearty chuckle as well. 

"Juvia...doesn't even know...why she is laughing!!" She giggled. 

"Me neither!" Lucy clutched at her stomach as she wiped a stray tear from her eye.

Everyone finally settled down and could stand straight again.

"Oi Lucy! Don't forget you owe me 100 jewels after this!" Natsu smirked. 

Lucy sighed. "Darnit…I thought I was spot on with this one…" 

" What's wrong Lucy-san?" Juvia tilted her head in confusion. Lucy shook her head, as she let out a slight chuckle.

"Me and Natsu betted earlier on if you and Gray were dating. But since you guys said no I owe him some jewels now…"

"Huh?!" Gray yelled. 

Juvia clutched at her cheeks in surprise.

"Why would Lucy-san and Natsu-san think that?!" 

"Well it's just…." Lucy thought for a moment, and her eyes lit up in realization.

" Well...it's just Gray has seemed happier lately, you know? Plus he hangs out with you a lot. And he takes you on missions and walks you home. In fact, you guys sorta act like a couple already."Lucy shrugged.

Gray felt his cheeks burn at her statements and he opened his mouth to retort, but came up with nothing. Everything she said had been true, and he had no excuse. 

Juvia had been biting her lip as she looked down at the ground. She had to stop her imagination from going wild.  She would always love Gray, but she wouldn't get her hopes up and think this was a date, when it was just Gray being a friend as usual.

" Actually it was a date. And you jerks ruined it, you know?" Gray replied.

Juvia's eyes widened as she whipped her head to look at Gray. He wasn't meeting her eyes, but she could tell he was embarrassed. Juvia gasped as her mouth hung open, tears threatening to fall.

"Gray~sama?! Juvia-" ''Well let's go on a double date! Lucy owes me money anyway, so she can pay for both me and her!" Nastu declared, a grin adorning his face. 

"You dummy, Natsu! I won the bet! He just said he was dating Juvia!"

Gray finally got the courage to look at Juvia and her crystal blue eyes met his. Her eyes were wide as if she were frozen in shock, and a tear fell down her pale cheeks.

Before he knew, Juvia had her lips pressed against his in a passionate kiss. Gray finally snapped out of his daze and fell into the moment. He somehow had known her lips would be so soft. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him forward. Gray let his hands flow through Juvia's flowing curls. Juvia let out a small moan.

Their  lips pressed against each other sweetly, making the taste of each other's lips linger as they parted, both panting softly. Lucy had already covered her red face in her hands while Natsu looked on in astonishment. Gray was frozen in place as Juvia smiled. She then turned to stunned Natsu and a furiously blushing Lucy.

"Where is this double date going to be?" 

End-

Oh gosh this was a lot. I hope you enjoyed my trash and thank you for reading❤

Edit:Omg I didn't think I would get so much support😭 Thank you guys! You give me the encouragement to keep writing and I will be forever grateful😍❤