#you get two posts in a row that are soulmates

[sad-not-glad]

Just some ramblings

I love getting to see Bucky post recovery in fics. Getting the happy slow life he deserves, pretty little housewife (you) and a tiny chubby-cheeked baby. White picket fence, holidays, Barnses family reunions, because we all know Bucky would adore that. Welcoming a cat and another one of his mini-me’s, maybe two.

But what about after that? His oldest’s graduation, his youngest’s? I want Bucky who struggles to watch his babies move out, I want Bucky who is devastated to watch them leave but even happier to see them thrive. What about when he becomes a granddad?

So here is old man Bucky becoming a granddad after getting the domestic bliss he deserves.

It’s his birthday. What number, Bucky didn’t know, he stopped keeping track too long ago. Far more important was the roudy group of his grown children, scattered around the living room with their partners and childhood friends, extended family and the like. It’s been nothing short of perfect, great food and nice weather with all his favorite people shoved into one house.

All except for one, that is.

‘Little’ Eliana, the youngest of the bunch and the only girl. Even though she’s a happy and healthy 25 years old, she was still doted on by all the men, brothers and Bucky alike. She was the princess, the baby, the littlest duck in the row- despite being married for 3 years already. So it really shouldn’t have been as surprising as it was to him, but Bucky still saw a grinning little girl with dirty hands when he looked at her. Eliana arrived with husband in tow fashionably late, her present tucked away to the back to the pile amidst the chaos of being greeted. Bucky, being the birthday Dad, got the first and longest hug naturally. One that he savored, tucking his little girl into his arms and holding her close. He still couldn’t believe where life had taken him, finding his soulmate and settling down. Getting to watch his outstanding children grow and prosper in ways he never imagined, everything he never believed he deserved. But it was his anyways, and he had no idea just how much more amazing his life was about to become.

Every year Bucky insisted he didn’t need any gifts. He was the happiest he could imagine with just his family, all safe and sound in the same house. Yet every year, he got to unwrap a mounting pile of presents that just keep getting better. So far he got a new watch from his son, which was amazing. Something he had been really needing too. A cat tree from the other son, two new mugs, the softest blanket he had even felt. Slowly the pile went from huge, to decent, until there was only one left. Eliana’s, a tiny little black box topped with a cute golden ribbon. She always had adored her father’s arm, hours of her childhood spent marveling at the metal. Now the fascination presented itself in his gift wrapping, or the black wedding band on her finger. A mimic of the engraving he had done when he married you.

She passes it over with a nervous smile, immediately curling back into her husband’s side. Bucky took the gift with a grin and a thank you, settling back and carefully peeling away the paper. You’re watching over his shoulder when he opens the lid, tossing it to the side and revealing the contents within. A little folded square of fabric. He pulled it out, confusion clear on his face as he turned it over. He unfolded it, taking a second to process just what he was looking at.

A tiny baby onesie, and written across the front was ‘I’m not spoiled, my Granddad just loves me”. He blinked, turning it over in his hands and re-reading the words, then reading them again. You had already put together the dots, leaping from your spot next to him with a surprised shriek. For Bucky, it was taking a while to really set in, eyes locked on the little outfit in his hands.

His daughter was…pregnant?

He was going to be a grandfather?

…He’s going to be a grandfather!

The tears are falling before the poor man even realizes he’s crying. Because after everything he had done, all the pain and suffering caused, Bucky was lucky enough to now be a grandfather. He looked up when legs appearing in his blurry vision, and there she was. The girl he had read stories to every night, kissed her boo-boos and held her hand. The girl who he raised into a wonderful young woman, smiling at him with giddy excitement. Excitement over having a child of her own, creating her own family to love and cherish. His chest was practically bursting with emotions, all of them pouring out with his tears and laughter as he stood to sweep her in his arms again.

And needless to say, the onesie spoke the truth. If you think this man spoiled his children, it’s a whole other ball game with his grandkids. His wallet is their atm, stealing them away for weekends with Pop-Pop, giving them memories to cherish forever. He cries holding his first granddaughter after she’s born. He cries when the second and third come, and he’s inconsolable when your eldest son reveals the name of his own firstborn. Andrew Bucky Barnes, the fifth grandchild he gets to welcome.

Pop-pop who picks up his kiddos early from school just because he missed them

Pop-pop who never misses a thing. Holidays, birthdays, graduations.

Pop-pop who always has the best stories, the warmest hugs, and the fluffiest pet cat.

Pop-pop who all his grand-babies adore just as much as he adores them.

[ladykailitha]

Icarus Part 3

Hello! If you haven't seen it yet, I've got a set schedule for what story posts on what days now (as seen here) and this one as well as Well Met By Moonlight, Batshit Soulmates, and Never Hold Back Your Step... will still be posting just on rotation until I can finish some of my WIPs. (I may be stretching myself a bit thin having six going at the same time.)

In this one we have the concert. Eddie stumbles on something big and doesn't know how to deal with it all. And Uncle Wayne is bestest as always.

@emly03 @redfreckledwolf @itsall-taken @rozzieroos @mira-jadeamethyst

Part 1 Part 2

****

The day of the concert dawned abhorrently cheerful and bright. Not a cloud in the sky or any accidents that would prevent Eddie from having to take Dustin to this event. He wouldn’t deign to call it a concert. He had heard the album and seen their posters, but he refused to wander over to YouTube and watch videos of their concerts, interviews, their music videos.

He didn’t want to be even more disappointed that they were all flash and no substance then he was sure he was going to be for the next two hours.

Dustin rolled his eyes when Eddie parked in the huge concert parking lot.

“You’re just salty because I like them as much as I like Corroded Coffin,” he huffed getting out the car. “You have to concede that Abaddon’s vocals are killer.”

Eddie scoffed. “Do not. I haven’t heard them live. Way too many artists use autotune too much these days.”

“You sound like that meme,” he sneered, “‘Old Man Yells at Cloud’.”

Eddie swatted at him playfully. “Am not.” Dustin raised his eyebrow skeptically and he threw his arms in the air. “I’m not. I am a very serious musician, Dusty. The last thing metal needs is some band that can’t write or even play their own instruments. This isn’t pop.”

“You are such an asshole,” he said and turned toward the entrance, leaving Eddie to jog to catch up with him.

Eddie sighed and put his arm around Dustin’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I am being an asshole. I turned into the person I swore I would never be. Those shit for brains critics that hated Corroded Coffin when we first got on the scene. And that was wrong of me.”

Dustin sighed, too. “I just want you to like them too. They are so good if you’d just give them a chance.”

Eddie breathed out through his nose. “Yeah. I can at least give them that.”

They got to their seats and Eddie was a little impressed at Claudia Henderson’s Ticket Master foo. They weren’t front row, but they were only a couple of rows back so you could actually see the stage without having to strain their necks and smack dab in the center of the row.

Dustin would have the best time. And now it was up to Eddie not ruin it for the kid. Because yes, he was still a kid as far as Eddie was concerned. Twenty-one was so fucking young. That was how old most of the band was when they got their record deal, after all. They weren’t prepared for what came next, that’s for sure.

They got settled into their seats and Eddie watched as the rest of the crowd shuffled in. They were all about Dustin’s age with very few exceptions in either direction.

There seemed to be a color theme going on with the girls in the audience though. They were grouped in clumps of red, black, blue, or white. Which made sense if each band member stuck to a certain color palette.

Well he was about to find out, he supposed.

The lights dimmed. The crowd quieted down. The spotlight lit up the drumkit first. And Eddie knew that Gareth would be drooling over it. It was all black with black metal fittings. The kit seemed to collect light almost like a blackhole.

Then from the ceiling, a man dressed all in black being lowered onto the stage with large black raven wings on his back. He wore a black hooded coat over what, Eddie couldn’t tell. It was all black. The shirt, the pants, the boots. Even his mask was all black with even the eyes appearing closed. His feet touched the ground and the crowd went wild.

“Azrael!” the announcer called out.

Azrael settled on the throne and picked up black drum sticks.He counted time above his head and played a wicked solo to the adoring crowd’s absolute delight.

Dustin jumped up and down, screaming.

The spotlight moved to the right side of stage and the next band member descended from the ceiling. Large bat wings adorned his back and he was dressed in red leather fetish gear. Complete with tight leather pants that looked painted on and a matching harness highlighting his bare chest, peeking out from the red leather hooded coat.

His guitar was fucking gorgeous, though. A Warlock, much like Eddie’s own. It was custom painted red with black flames licking up the neck.

Eddie rolled his eyes, but it seemed he was the only one who thought the whole thing was over the top judging from the screams from the girls in the audience.

He didn’t just land gently on the stage like the drummer did, oh no. He fucking stomped onto the stage with a howl.

His wings, like the drummer’s ascended back into the rafters as the announcer shouted, “Asmodeus!”

And then Eddie really did roll his eyes. The demon of lust. Of course he was.

But seconds later Eddie’s jaw dropped to the floor as the man wailed on his guitar driving the crowd further into the frenzy.

Once he finished his solo the crowd quieted again and he could see why. Because just then, descending on gossamer wings that shimmered like starlight, was their bassist.

Everything about him was midnight blue and shimmering like the night. His mask was the face of the moon. He had his own hooded coat, but it was like the night sky, with some kind of crystal or gem sewn in to make the coat glimmer like stars.

His bass was something that Brian would have sold his own mother for and they were as thick as thieves. Eddie didn’t know much about basses considering his sweetheart was an electric guitar, but he could tell it wasn’t expensive but was perfect for his style. A style he showed off with gusto to the audience’s obvious delight.

“Astraeus!” the announcer cried.

Eddie decided that this one was his favorite. It played up the whole mysterious thing without the over the top flash of the guitarist or the sheer void of the drummer.

The audience hushed as the three members of the band began to play what was clearly the lead singer’s entrance music.

And holy fuck was Eddie screwed. This man was descending like a fucking angel sent from God, Jesus pose and all.

He was all in white with an opaque lace mask that had his mouth and chin cut out for him to sing. That surprised Eddie somewhat. He figured that the guy would have his whole face covered like everyone else in the band and that he could lip sync.

But nope. Apparently no one in this band did anything by halves.

The lead singer was wearing a sheer mesh crop top under the hooded floor length coats the whole band was wearing. Only his was white with a silk powder blue lining.

Eddie winced in sympathy. They must get boiling under the lights with those things on.

A few feet from the stage floor there was an explosive pop! And the feathers from his wings flew out into the crowd who was now screaming as if their life depended on the sheer volume coming out them. He looked over at Dustin who was no different.

When Eddie could see the stage again, this angel’s wings were now skeletal and gothic.

He landed in front of microphone whose stand had been decorated with a scarf in each of of the band members’ signature colors.

“Abbadon!” the announcer yelled for the final time.

And Eddie was in love. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Dustin must have seen his expression because he was suddenly tugging on Eddie’s arm and screaming, “I told you!!”

“Indy!” Abbadon growled, grabbing the mic. “Thank you so much for having us! Let’s get this started.”

Then he began to sing and yeah, Eddie knew that the guy had charm, but this was a whole new level of epic. He was enthralled.

He didn’t utter a fucking word for several songs. But then it happened. Eddie couldn’t believe it. He hurried to snap a picture to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

But there it was it in living color. He turned to Dustin to see if he saw it too, but the kid was too busy screaming and jumping up and down.

Eddie’s jaw fell.

That couldn’t be right, couldn’t it? That Dustin didn’t know? Eddie looked back up on stage and a lot of the puzzle pieces started slotting in place. His heart sank a little.

He shook his head to clear it of dark thoughts. He didn’t know the reason for any of this and leaping to conclusions would only get a shit ton of people hurt. Especially the boy next to him.

Eddie let the music wash over him. Let the magic of metal soothe his soul. Soon he was jumping up and down and headbanging with the rest of the crowd. Right hand flashing the devil’s horns, left hand out to steady himself he let himself enjoy the band’s stage presence.

****

To say that Eddie’s mind was fucking blown would be an understatement. He pestered Dustin all the way home with rapid fire questions. Where did the band tour last time? What was their schedule this time? Was it a six month tour or an eighteen month tour last time?

Dustin answered each question with growing excitement, thinking that Eddie had finally grown to love this band as much as he had.

Eddie on the other hand felt a growing sense of dread. Well... maybe dread was the wrong word. It was certainly a sinking feeling. One he really had to exam closely.

At least he could honestly say that he fell in love with the music before he found out his little secret.

And fuck what a secret it was.

He dropped Dustin off at home and drove out to the ranch that he had gifted to Wayne when Corroded Coffin first made it big. It was a beautiful, sprawled out home surrounded by acres of land and Eddie loved it even more than Wayne did.

Eddie stumbled through the door and was surprised to see Wayne drinking hot chocolate and reading a sports magazine in his expensive recliner. And yet, at the same time, not really that surprised.

“You do realize I’m no longer that fucked up kid with anger issues,” Eddie huffed on his way to the kitchen to grab a beer, “that were almost as bad as the troubles with the law, right?”

Wayne chuckled. “Maybe so. But you’re still my boy and I’ll keep worrying about you until the day I die.”

Eddie popped open the can of beer and sat down on the sofa. He leaned his head back on the back cushion with a heavy sigh.

Wayne raised an eyebrow. “What’s stewing around in that head of yours?”

Eddie slowly raised his head. “What would you do if you accidentally found out something about a friend that they were keeping from everyone they knew?”

Wayne set down his magazine. “That would depend on the secret. Is it hurting anyone?”

“Is what hurting anyone?” Eddie asked. “The secret?” Wayne nodded and Eddie frowned, really thinking about it.

“Maybe some feelings,” he said after a moment. “But it’s not dangerous like they committed a crime or anything. It’s not even about their sexuality.”

Wayne hummed thoughtfully. “And is it a big secret or a little one?”

Again Eddie was forced to think hard about what that meant. “I guess it depends on the person, but in my eyes it’s pretty big.”

The elder Munson nodded. “Do you feel hurt by this secret?”

“Yeah, yeah. I guess I do.” He bowed his head and let out a shuddering breath.

“Is there a reason you think he wouldn’t have told you?” Wayne pressed.

“Of course no–” Eddie stopped as his brain caught up to his mouth. “Shit.”

Wayne raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Eddie admitted shyly. “There’s a pretty good reason why he wouldn’t have told me. And now I feel like the shit friend.”

Wayne stood up and pulled Eddie into a big hug. “Maybe so, but you have the time to course correct and show this friend that you are worthy of his secret.”

Eddie nodded. “Thanks, Uncle Wayne,” he mumbled into Wayne’s neck.

“I’m just glad I could help.”

****

Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25

Tag List: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @danili666 @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @val-from-lawrence @goodolefashionedloverboi @i-must-potato @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog @justforthedead89 @vecnuthy @irregular-child @yikes-a-bee @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @anne-bennett-cosplayer @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @dragonmama76 @scheodingers-muppet @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman @eyehartart @dawners @y4r3luv @cryptid-system @thespaceantwhowrites @tinyplanet95

[skzoologist]

Will you stay?

word count: ~1.8k

warnings: angst, hurt/comfort

summary: Old wounds are torn open, but Bae has someone by his side, always.

a/n: I am not back yet, I won't pretend I am. But I can offer this short fic, if anything.

Please let me know if I left a warning or anything out, I will add it in! Reblogs, likes and feedback are greatly appreciated!

!I don't condone anyone stealing my work and posting it anywhere without my permission, or feeding it to AI!

!This is just fiction, my interpretation of Stray Kids. By no means is this how they are and how they behave in real life!

·͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙·͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙

·͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙·͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙⁺˚•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙˚⁺‧͙

Bae didn’t know what to feel.

In one moment he was just having a relatively good time, joking around with the others and watching as Minho was once again chasing around Hyunjin for whatever the weasel had said. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for them, the group loud and energetic even when they weren’t in front of the cameras. And he truly enjoyed that, even if he was the black sheep amongst them, with how quiet he usually was.

But then the next thing he knew, his sight grew slightly blurry, the softest of tremors running through his hands. He was holding his phone, feeling it vibrate in his pocket. So naturally, he fished it out of there, not wanting to miss out on anything possibly important.

The first row of the message in itself was enough to make his breath stop, even though it was only a few words that popped up in the notification.

Glancing around, he saw that everyone else was busy, nobody paying him any mind, thankfully. Bae was also glad that he’d decided to sit alone this time, not squished between two of his bandmates on the sofa. He loved them, he truly did, but because of their closely-knit friendship he knew that they would immediately notice if anything was off with him.

Thus, he unlocked his phone and opened the message with a simple flick of his thumb, eyes quickly reading over the several, long rows of words. With each sentence a weight was added onto Bae’s shoulders, his chest constricting painfully.

Why would he get this? And why now?

It had been long months since he had heard from the person who had sent him this message, someone who Bae had called a good friend of his in the past. The two had hit it off back when they had been trainees, finding solace in sharing their hardships and helping the other grow their skills. Friendly chatter had flowed easily between them whenever they’d met, so much so that Chan and the others constantly teased them of being long lost soulmates, even if only platonically.

And Bae would have agreed back then.

But suddenly, that connection started suffering, becoming strained between the two. It was inevitable to a certain extent, since his friend had failed to stay by Bae’s side, leaving the company and chasing after another dream. Still, they kept in touch, telling stories to each other over text or at a rare café visit. And while there had been a slight rift forming between the two friends, it was still easy to jump over, something Bae had tried to fix.

It was all useless, in the end.

That rift had merely grown in size, so much so that fixing it felt like throwing down buckets of water into the endless stomach of the abyss. It was greedy, swallowing up everything, no matter what he’d tried. Every text had only gotten a dry response, the conversations dying out quicker and quicker with each attempt.

And after a while, Bae had stopped.

It felt useless, chasing after somebody who didn’t even slow down so he could catch up. But Bae came to peace with it. It hurt, yes, seeing those ghost conversations still sit in his phone, but people come and go. Such was the way the world worked. Besides, he had 8 boys now to always have by his side, becoming his second family.

So why?

Why was a goodbye letter blinking up at him from his screen, completely unprompted and talking as if he was the one who’d left his friend?

Why?

The air felt heavy in his lungs, each intake a little harder to perform. His hand had automatically shut the device off it held, knowing that if he hadn’t placed it down, he would look even more obvious to the others. It was hard as it is to hide the tremors running through his body, memories he’d buried long ago resurfacing and tearing open old wounds. Those things happened long ago, each and every single one something he had tried his best to forget and never relive. It had already taken him so much effort to reach where he was these days, to not question every little thing, to believe in others and their words.

Yet everything felt like it was crumbling down, years worth of effort just turning into dust, mocking him to rebuild it all again.

He wasn’t sure he had it in himself to do so.

By the time he’d snapped back to reality, Felix was by his side, concern clearly written on the young boy’s face. Bae didn’t hesitate to plaster on a smile, hoping he would buy the fakeness of it.

“I’m fine Felix, don’t worry. Guess ‘m just a little tired from today’s practice.” - he muttered out, flashing a smile at the boy’s direction before standing up, excusing himself.

He couldn’t bear to be there anymore.

Not when those loathed voices were coming back, making him question if they would eventually leave him too, just like everyone else had done so in the past. Would they find him boring after a while, once his cold facade broke away, his loving yet scared self finally revealed to them?

He didn’t want to think about it.

The door closed with a soft click behind him, the lock shifting in place to ensure his solitude. A deep sigh left his chest as he leaned against the door, too exhausted to try and keep those loathsome thoughts at bay anymore. He didn’t have the energy for it, not when his limbs ached and joints screamed, not when his mind was already filled with worries about their next project and comeback.

This one thing was the last drop to break him, his body shaking as tears rolled down his cheeks, staining his clothes and skin. He was usually strong, always there to provide comfort for the others, but tonight, it felt impossible. As if a weight was crushing his whole existence, not allowing him to continue on his path, binding him in place like a chain secured to the depths of the ocean.

All he could do now was to sit there, face buried in his knees, hands tightly wrapped around his shaking form. A hiccup escaped through his lips, loud in the silence of his room. He tried his best to not let any sound escape him, to ride these emotions out alone, not wishing to disturb anyone, but it was useless. He could only pray that no one had heard him, that none of the boys chased after him.

His prayers were left unheard as a soft knock echoed through the space, the vibrations running down Bae’s back. He stilled, unable to even breathe from the shock, only hearing the shifting of clothes besides the loud drumming of his heart.

A few beats of silence passed before a sigh could be heard, yet there was no frustration behind it.

“Dal, baby, I know you’re in there. I can hear you. Please let me in, it hurts to know you’re hurting.” - pleaded Chan, voice so soft Bae couldn’t believe the man was talking to him.

No reply could be heard as Bae’s silent tears continued, shocking him when a loud thump could be felt from behind, the door gently rattling in place once.

“You don’t need to tell me what happened, or what’s wrong, just… know that I’m here, yeah? I’m always here if you need me, always have been. Or so I’d like to believe.” - Chan chuckled, his voice turning into a hushed whisper near the end.

Bae slowly wiped at his eyes, a soft sniffle letting Chan know the boy was still awake and listening.

“You know, I’ve always admired you. Even when we were just young trainees, hardly knowing each other. If someone had a hard day you tried your best to put your differences aside and lended them a shoulder. Even me, no matter how hard I was on you in our training.” - a soft sigh could be heard, one filled with mirth and memories.

Bae remembered those days clearly, being one of the first ones to join the group. He was standoffish and cold, often getting into arguments thanks to that. But at the end of the day, Chan always stuck to him, adamantly chipping away at the walls he had built up.

“I know you might not believe me, especially with how stubborn you are, but we care about you. We all do, me included. Your pain is our pain. And knowing that you’re on the other side of this door, suffering, it pains me. Please, Moonlight, let me in. I can’t bear to hear you cry any longer…” - the elder’s voice cracked at the end, filled to the brim with emotion and hurt.

Clothes shifted and the lock clicked, their leader not hesitating to tear the door open and scoop Bae into his arms. The younger clung to him desperately, hands looped around Chan’s neck, face buried in his chest. The waterworks never really stopped, silently flowing even while the older had been speaking.

The door slowly clicked shut, the two now laid on the soft sea of blankets and pillows.

For a while, Bae just laid there in Chan’s embrace, hiding away from the entire world in his hyung’s steady hold and gentle touches that nearly lulled him to sleep with each stroke over his hair and skin. But he couldn’t sleep, not yet, not when doubts continued plaquing his mind constantly, feeding his fears until they grew impossibly large.

A question left his lips, so quiet that not even Chan could make sense of it.

“What was it, baby? Could you repeat that for me?” - he asked, gently drawing Bae’s face away from his neck to look at him.

“You… you won’t leave me, right?”

Nothing could have prepared Chan for that question, his eyes widening in pure shock and disbelief.

It only took a second longer for his own eyes to water, those warm nebulas looking at Bae with such emotion that it nearly broke the boy.

“Of course not. I’m here to stay, now and forever.”

The two fell asleep in each others’ hold, Chan curled up around Bae as if he was trying to shield the boy from the entire world itself. And for once, Bae let himself be held, desperately clinging onto the other, as if he would disappear in the blink of an eye without any prior notice.

[mandos-mind-trick]

See You In My Sleep

Summary: After months of silence, your soulmate reappears in your dream space desperate for help. You're desperate to save him, but you're just a bakery owner from Coruscant.

Pairing: Howzer x reader Soulmate AU

Warnings: NSFW, smut, unprotected sex, soulmate AU, PTSD, nightmares, fluff, angst.

A/N: Man, I've been rather long winded with my fics lately. This one has taken the cake (lol) for the longest soulmate fic to date. I'm terrified of posting this once as I've never written for Howzer before, but I hope I did him justice.

MASTERLIST

It’s been months. 

You haven’t spoken to your soulmate in months. 

It wasn’t that unusual for you to go periods of time without speaking to him, but those only lasted days, at the most a couple weeks. Months, though? That was unheard of. 

It makes you worry. 

You know things have been happening, things that aren’t quite right. The sudden change from the Republic to the Empire with the end of the war was enough to have anyone paying attention raising an eyebrow. With your soulmate’s direct involvement, it only has you questioning things more. 

You know things, things most people don’t, about the Empire and its agenda. You’ve heard things that have been happening, things your soulmate has taken part in. Things he’d been questioning lately. 

You hope he’s alright. 

You share a dream space with your soulmate. When you’re both asleep at the same time, you can slip into a shared dream that allows you to see and speak with each other. Sometimes you can even share images with each other. Places, things, events. 

You can tell when it’s going to happen. Instead of drifting off like normal, it feels almost like you’re leaving your body, ascending into some higher plane. The world goes white for a moment before you’re there, standing together. You can’t touch, but you can get close enough to see the details of each other’s faces. 

The first time it happened, it took you by surprise. You hadn’t understood it at first, and most of what you saw were blurry, indistinguishable shapes around you. It had felt very cold and uninviting, even despite the fact you couldn’t make out what you were seeing. 

You always felt well rested upon waking, despite not feeling like you had slept at all. 

You had brushed it off as exhaustion, stress, some strange vivid dream. You had tried not to think about it too much, until it happened a second time. 

Once again, it had all been blurry shapes moving around in that cold, sterile place. You had entertained insanity for a moment upon waking, but you didn’t feel crazy. You felt well rested and almost comforted by the strange experience. 

It didn’t happen every night. You sometimes went a week or two without the strange floating and white place. As time went on, the images began to shift. They became a bit clearer, though you still couldn't understand what you were seeing. There was nothing indicative of a place or people or anything that looked familiar to you. It was more like looking into an abstract piece of art. 

As the years passed, things became a bit clearer. Images became things you could recognize, though you didn’t always understand what they meant. 

It was a couple years before the war started that you met him for the first time. 

He seemed equally confused by his appearance in your dream. It didn't feel quite right. He seemed too aware for a dream, too real. He was young, just barely having reached adulthood, you would later figure out. He had told you he was a clone and was training for war. 

You thought it ridiculous. The galaxy wasn’t at war. You knew galactic relations were getting to be tense. Living on Coruscant gave you a front row seat to the drama of the Senate. But to think it would come to war...that was far fetched. 

It was only after a handful of interactions with Howzer that you figured out what was going on. You had done a bit of research on your strange dreams and had come to the conclusion it was your soulmate link, and Howzer was your soulmate. 

When you told him during your next meeting, he had been upset. He told you about their rules regarding soulmates, but that most of them didn’t agree with it. He didn’t want to reject you, but he had to be careful. Thankfully, your shared dream space was easy to hide. 

He grew quickly, a product of his enhancements as a clone. He spoke a lot about his training, about his fellow clones. The idea made you uneasy, especially with war nowhere in sight at least that you could tell, but there wasn’t much you could do. Even if you knew where he was, going to see him was not an option. 

You weren’t supposed to know about his existence. 

Not that you were going to tell anyone. You had no one to tell. 

You’re just a humble bakery owner who lived among the trillions on Coruscant. 

He liked to talk about you, about your life on Coruscant. He liked to hear about the outside world, about the goings on of everyday people. It made you a bit sad, that his entire life had been created for one purpose, for a war that might never come. 

The war does come. 

Your visits with Howzer become rarer as he ships out. You still manage to see each other, but you can tell as the war progresses how much it begins to weigh on him. You can see the dark circles, the exhaustion in his face as he joins you in your shared dream space. He talks a lot about the battles and losing men, his own brothers. You give him the space to unload it all, your own tears falling as you listen to the pain in his voice, sharing his sadness. 

He has his own close calls. You’re there for the formation of every scar, every blemish. You worry about him, relishing every second you have with him. 

He likes to hear about your life, which remained relatively unchanged, even with the war. If anything changed, it was the influx of customers at your bakery. You saw plenty of senate aides, and even the occasional Coruscant Guard. 

When the war ends, you don’t hear from him for a couple weeks. You’re not surprised, given how rapidly everything seems to change. You only get him back for a few weeks, though, before he disappears. 

You often played over that last dream in your head as you waited and waited for his reappearance. You’ve tried everything you can think of to reconnect, even taking time off from your bakery to spend as much time as possible asleep in hopes you catch him, even for a moment. 

Yet he remains absent. 

So you continued on, pouring your worry into your work. You try not to think about it, but you can’t help it. You’ve begun to feel the yearning, the need to see him, hear him once more. Even if it’s just to make sure he’s alright. You want to see those deep, soulful eyes just one more time. 

Even if the next dream that comes is a rejection. 

***

It finally happens one night, when you’re least expecting it. 

You were dozing off while watching a holofilm. You had an early morning, yet you were up late trying to relax. You were beginning to get anxious, itching under your skin in your need for Howzer. 

It happens suddenly, your body floating before you’re surrounded by a familiar white glow. You nearly cry as you find yourself standing before him. 

“Howzer.” You breathe his name in relief, a weight being lifted from your shoulders almost instantly. 

He says your name, a tear sliding down your cheek. How you want to touch him, feel him, ensure he’s really here. You know though, deep in your bones. It’s really him. He’s really here. 

He looks tired. There’s dark circles around his eyes, and his face seems thinner than normal. 

“Howzer,” You breathe, staring at him with teary eyes. “What happened?” 

“I don’t have a lot of time.” He says, and you can see the desperation on his face. “I was arrested by the Empire with some of my men. I’m not sure where we are, but there’s other clones here. Some of them have disappeared. Others are being moved.” He looks guilty. “I had to close off the connection to protect you. If they found out...you would have been in danger.” 

You nod, a lump forming in your throat for a different reason. The relief you had felt is slowly ebbing away, replaced by anxiety. By fear. “Have you been able to see anything at all? Maybe...maybe I can try and find it. Or find someone that can help.” 

He closes his eyes, the white space around you shifting, showing you a few images of things he had seen. It’s not much to go off of, but it’s something.

“Be careful.” He says. “Don’t try anything stupid.” 

“What, like trying to invade an Imperial fortress with nothing but a whisk?” You crack the joke, but it lacks the normal light tone you would have used. 

You can see the softening of his gaze, but his face doesn’t move. “I don’t know when I’ll be able to do this again.” If he’ll be able to do it again. 

The reality of his situation is hitting you hard. He’s at the mercy of the Empire now. He has been for months. He’d cut off his contact with you to try and protect you, even though you know how badly you’ve both been suffering. 

“Soon.” You say, determined. “I’m going to do everything I can to find you.” 

He lifts his hand, almost like he wants to touch you, but he can’t. “Be careful.” 

You want to say it back, but the dream fades before you can.

You wake alone on the couch, the image of his eyes painted at the front of your mind. 

***

Your hands shake as you try to frost the cake in front of you. The shop will be opening in less than an hour, and you were behind on orders already. You can hardly focus, the dream with Howzer still fresh in your mind. He’s in trouble, he’s been in trouble this whole time. The fearful thoughts you had tried to suppress are coming back full force, threatening to spill over. 

You put down your piping bag, taking a deep breath. You need to work. Going home will only make things worse. You’ll have nothing to do there but sit and worry all day. At least this will be a distraction. 

You spot movement at the door, your one employee, Mina, arriving for her shift. You’ve known Mina since you were kids and would trust her with your life. You let her in, rubbing your eyes. 

“You look like a bantha ran you over.” She says, dropping her things behind the counter. 

You crack a small smile, but you’re certain it looks more like a grimace. “Just stressed.” 

“Busy day?” She asks, pulling her apron on. 

“Already behind.” You answer. 

She stares at you for a few moments as you wash your hands. You try to ignore her as you grab the piping bag once more. “Well, whatever it is, you worry about the cakes. I’ll handle the customers.” 

She goes about setting up the lobby, allowing you the chance to try and get caught up with your cake orders. It was like half the people on Coruscant were all celebrating something today. 

Mina turns on the holoTV, the end of a news broadcast popping up. The anchor’s going on about Senator Chuchi and her bold fight for clone rights despite having the majority of the Senate against her. The broadcast is saying less than favorable things about her, but you ignore it. Ever since the Empire took over, the news had become almost unbearable. Between fluff pieces and outright slander, it had become more of a coverup for things they didn’t want citizens finding out than actual news. 

You pause for a moment, something flashing through your mind. 

Senator Chuchi was very outspoken in her support of the clones. You have a clone that desperately needs help. If you could get Senator Chuchi to help, maybe you could find Howzer. But how would you get her to help? You couldn’t just walk into the Senate building and ask to see her. You’d have to give your reasoning for being there and that would put you on the Empire’s radar, or worse, get you arrested too. 

Not to mention, you have no proof except your own words. You had tried to search for anything that might look like what Howzer showed you, but you had turned up empty handed. That was partially why you were behind this morning. 

But, a Senator would have more resources to investigate. Access to information it seemed the Empire didn’t want citizens to have. 

You turn to look at Mina, setting down the piping bag once more. “Mina? Your sister still works as an aide, right?” 

Mina pauses where she had been setting up chairs, looking at you. “Yeah, why?” 

“I-I need some help.” You say. 

Mina didn’t know much of anything about your soulmate. It wasn’t so much that you didn’t trust her, but more that you weren’t sure how to approach the subject. Mina had met her soulmate not long after you both graduated school. She was a sweet Twi’lek who worked as an event planner. You’ve collaborated several times before in the past. Mina would understand your desperation, maybe enough to convince her sister to help you. 

You take a deep breath. “I need to speak with Senator Chuchi. It’s about a group of clones.” 

Mina frowns. “What are you doing getting involved with clones?” 

You should tell her. If you can get Howzer help, if he gets rescued, you’d like to bring him here. You’d like to have him in your life. She’s going to see him eventually. She’ll have to know eventually. 

You step out from behind the counter, pulling her back into the kitchen. You stand close to her, speaking quietly. It was unlikely anyone would overhear you with the door still locked, but you couldn’t be too careful. Not in this situation. 

“I need you to promise you won’t breathe a word of what I’m about to tell you to anyone. Even your sister.” You say. 

She stares into your eyes for a moment before she nods. “I promise.” 

“I’m trusting you with this. If any of this gets out, it will take down both of us.” 

She gulps, but nods. You take a deep breath, planning out what and how you’re going to tell her this. 

“My soulmate is a clone,” You begin, her eyes widening at your words. “We share a dream connection. I didn’t hear from him for months, but last night he contacted me. He was arrested a few months ago by the Empire. I think he’s in trouble. I have to help him, but I don’t even know where he is.” 

Mina stares at you in silence for a few moments, processing your words. It’s a lot, not to mention it’s dangerous what you’re saying. Howzer would be in deeper trouble if the wrong person found out about your connection, not to mention you would be in a lot of trouble. 

You don’t want to be on the Empire’s radar. 

“You think Senator Chuchi might be able to help?” Mina asks. 

“I have to try.” You say. “I have to do everything I can.” 

Mina’s silent for a few more moments before she sighs. “I can ask Shera when she comes in to meet with us later when she has time.” 

Tears fill your eyes as you nod. “Thank you, Mina.” 

She nods. “Just...if you get caught, pretend you don’t know me.” 

You laugh. “Of course. You’re just my employee after all.” 

***

“I had to pull a lot of strings, but she agreed to see you.” Shera says as soon as she steps through the door. 

Shera was an aide for Senator Organa of Alderaan. She was one of your regulars, and not just because her sister was your single employee. You liked to think she was the reason you got so many Senate aides in your shop in the morning. 

When you spoke to her, you hadn’t given much detail aside from needing to speak to Senator Chuchi about something relating to clones, and with a promise of free pastries and cakes from your bakery for life, she had agreed. 

You breathe a sigh of relief at her words. You’ve got a long way to go, but at least this was a foot in the door. A chance to try and help Howzer. “Thank you. I’m forever indebted to you.” 

She smirks. “You’re just lucky I like you. And your cakes are so damn good.” 

“I meant it.” You say, pushing a box across the counter. “For life.” 

“I will be taking you up on that.” She says, taking the box. “Tomorrow, after you close. She’ll send someone to pick you up.” 

You let out a long breath. It’s really happening. “Thank you.” 

Shera opens the box, pulling out a pastry and taking a bite. She waves her hand, mumbling with her mouth full as she turns, making her way to the door. 

You just have to make it to tomorrow. 

***

“Wait here.” 

You shift nervously on your feet, half expecting the Coruscant Guard to suddenly appear and arrest you for conspiracy or treason or something. Your hand brushes your pocket where the datastick is safely sitting, making sure it’s still there and hasn’t disappeared into thin air. 

You wait anxiously, trying not to look nervous or suspicious. You are nervous. You’ve never spoken to a Senator before, much less about something so sensitive. You don’t have concrete evidence, only Howzer’s word and your meager research. Despite how outspoken you know she is about clones and their rights, she has no reason to believe you. 

You wouldn’t blame her if she turned you away. 

You had tried not to stare at the clone that had picked you up. Despite his disguise, you know he’s a clone. You’d know that face, those eyes anywhere. 

You miss Howzer. 

Even though you have yet to meet in person, you miss his face and his voice and his presence. You’re worried for him. You know he’s not dead, you would have felt it if he was, but there could be any number of unimaginable things happening to him right now. Your hand brushes your pocket once more, making sure the datastick is still there, that it hasn’t disappeared into thin air. 

Footsteps approach, making your heart flutter. You’re sure you look like the nervous wreck you feel. You take a steadying breath as she appears, flanked by two other clones. She greets you by name, surprising you. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Senator Chuchi.” You say. “Thank you for seeing me.” 

“Of course.” She gives you a small smile. “Shera said you may have some information on clones in need of help.” 

You nod, shifting nervously on your feet. You had practiced what you were going to say over and over all day. “My soulmate is a clone and we share a dream space.” You start, telling her the truth in hopes it will help you. “He suddenly stopped contacting me a few months ago and then out of the blue a couple days ago he reappeared. He said he’d been arrested by the Empire and taken prisoner. He wouldn’t go into much detail, but he seemed worried. He said wherever he’s being held, there’s other clones there too. He was able to give me glimpses and I tried to do some research, but every time I tried to dig deeper, the holonet wouldn’t let me.” 

Senator Chuchi nods. “The Empire is locking down parts of the holonet. They don’t want civilians accidentally stumbling across something that might give them ideas.” 

You frown. All those feelings you’ve been having about the Empire seem to only become more and more validated at every turn. You reach into your pocket, pulling out the datastick. “I managed to narrow it down to a few places. I couldn’t do much else.” 

She takes the datastick. “I know someone who might be able to figure out where they are. We’ll do everything we can to rescue them.” 

“Thank you.” You say, tears springing to your eyes once more. You had been expecting the worst, and now there’s a glimmer of a chance that Howzer might be found and rescued. 

“If they find something, you’ll be the first to know.” She says, giving you a reassuring smile. 

You trust her, even though you know next to nothing about her. She could be lying, but the genuine look on her face, and how bravely she fought for clone rights in a Senate that had been against her tells you otherwise. 

All you can do is hope your research is enough, and they can find Howzer and the others before something bad happens. 

***

A few days pass in tense anticipation. There's still no word from Howzer, and no word from Senator Chuchi either. You know it has to take time, but you want to know faster. Have they been able to find them? Was your research enough? Had you been completely wrong and they had to start from scratch? 

You keep yourself busy at the bakery as you had been doing for the last few months. You've waited years for this, for the chance to meet Howzer. You can wait a few days if it means they have a better chance of finding them safely. 

You just hope it's not too late. 

You were closing up shop, planning to spend your evening worrying and sleeping as you had been doing lately in hopes of hearing from someone, when Senator Chuchi arrived in person at your shop. It was a rare occasion you got an actual Senator in your shop. 

"Senator Chuchi," You greet her from behind the counter where you had been boxing up leftover pastries to set out in front of your shop for those from below who roamed the upper levels in search of food or handouts. "How can I help you?"

She approaches the counter, a small smile on her face. "I have good news. They've found him."

You stare at her in shock for a moment, your brain trying to process what you had just heard. You've been waiting days for this, your mind thinking up every situation, every way this could happen. "What?" You ask in disbelief, your brain short-circuiting.

"They're on their way back here as we speak." She says. "Tomorrow when you close, I will have someone meet you to pick you up." 

You nod slowly, your brain trying to catch up. "They found him." You say it, almost like you're trying to convince yourself it's real. 

She smiles, nodding. "He's on his way here now."

Nerves begin to bubble in your stomach. Though you've spent years speaking to him, seeing him, you're nervous at the prospect of finally getting to see him in person. You know what he looks like, what he sounds like, what his personality is like. Yet, you've never met in person. You've never been able to touch him, to smell him, to really be with him. 

Your heart is pounding with nerves and excitement as you see Senator Chuchi out, locking the door behind you. In a matter of hours you'll be going to see Howzer. You never thought this day would come. You never thought it would actually be real.

***

The hours pass by slowly. Despite the busy hours at the bakery, time seems to move in slow motion as you wait for the end of your day. As you wait for the time to come. As you wait for Howzer's arrival. You've been lost in thought all day, fighting nerves and insecurities. 

It was ridiculous to think Howzer wouldn't like you. You've seen him, and he's seen you. If he didn't like you, he wouldn't have bothered spending hours upon hours getting to know you, baring his soul to you. If he didn't like you, he would have rejected you like he was supposed to. 

You're a little afraid because you know Howzer is different now. You could see the difference in him after months of whatever had happened to him. You’d support him as best you could, even if you couldn’t completely understand. 

You’re just worried he might get into his own head. 

You’d take him no matter what, simply because it means you’ll finally get to have him with you. 

If he wants to. 

You try not to think about it. You try not to let your insecurities get in your way as you wait patiently for your escort. 

When they finally arrive you feel like your heart may jump right out of your throat. It’s a different clone than the one that had taken you to meet Senator Chuchi the first time. You’re too nervous to speak on the trip to the location, thinking up how this scenario could play out over and over in your head. What are you going to say? 

You should have thought of this beforehand. 

Your stomach lurches as you land. You stare at the open door of the garage, at the light shining out from inside. Howzer’s in there. He’s in there, and he’s waiting for you. Your hands are shaking, and you’re not entirely sure you’re going to be able to stand. 

You have nothing to be afraid of. It’s so irrational, yet you can’t make yourself move. You know you should. You have to. The poor clone that drove you here won’t wait forever. 

You’re so close. So close. He’s right there. 

“You alright?” The clone that had escorted you asks. 

You turn to look at him, swallowing the lump in your throat. “Yeah. Nervous.” 

He nods. “I would be too. So I can confidently say, he’s probably just as nervous.” He gives you a small smile. “He didn’t come all this way for nothing.” 

He’s right. You’re a bit silly being so nervous. “What’s your name?” You ask. 

“Nitro, ma’am.” He says, nodding at you. 

“Thank you, Nitro.” 

You take a breath before pulling yourself out of the speeder. You steady yourself, trying desperately to push down the butterflies as you make your way into the garage. 

Tears spring to your eyes as they spot him. He has his back to you, but you can tell right away. You just know it’s him. Gone are the words you had thought up, the practiced speech you’d thought up on the way over of what you would say, how you would approach him. 

“Howzer?” Your voice shakes as you say his name. 

His back straightens, body turning slowly to face you. Tears threaten to blur your vision as you see him, just as he looked in your dreams. His brow furrows for a moment as he stares at you before his brows lift in surprise and disbelief. He whispers your name, almost like he’s afraid you might disappear if he speaks it too loudly. 

You’re suddenly moving, feet carrying you and before you realize it, you’re standing right in front of him. You stare at his face, every detail, every line that you had spent hours memorizing in your dreams. 

His hand slowly lifts, just like it had in your dream. Only, this is real. There’s nothing keeping you from touching each other now. His fingers brush your cheek, the rough pads ghosting across your skin like he’s making sure you’re really real. Sparks erupt under your skin at the touch, the first touch you’ve ever shared. 

You close the distance between you, wrapping your arms around him. He tenses for a moment, before he’s wrapping his own arms around you. The tears begin to fall, dampening his shirt as you cry for the months of solitude, the months of suffering he’d endured, the years you’ve both been waiting for this moment. The worry, the fear, the anxiety is melting away as you hold him, feeling him, ensuring he really is real. 

You tighten your hold on him, hands grasping his shirt as you hold on for dear life. He’s so warm, his heart thumping under your ear.

“I’ve got you, mesh’la.” He whispers, leaning his head against yours. “I’m right here.” 

“Months,” You sob, voice muffled by his shirt. “Months I didn’t hear from you. I thought something had happened...I thought-” 

He shushes you, tightening his hold on you. “I’m here now.” 

You let yourself relax in his hold, breathing him in. There’s a distinct metallic hint to his clothes, and the faint hint of sweat, but you’re not complaining. 

You don’t want to pull away from him. You want to stay here holding onto him forever. Yet, you know you can’t. 

You pull back slowly, meeting his gaze once more. His hand brushes your cheek once more, his palm warm against your skin. 

“You’re even more beautiful in person.” He says, eyes shining as he stares at you. 

Your cheeks heat up, so much he can probably feel it under his hand. You stare into those brown eyes, taking in every inch of him. “So are you.” 

The corner of his lips pull up in a grin as your face heats even more. You hadn’t meant to say that out loud. He doesn’t seem to mind, though. 

You lift your hand, pressing it against his where it’s still resting on your cheek. “I’m so glad you’re here.” 

His thumb gently strokes your skin. “Me too.” 

It’s like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. Months of worrying, years of only having dreams to see and speak with each other had been taking its toll. The little relief you got from your shared dream space was nothing compared to having him in front of you. 

You don’t want this feeling to end. Yet, you know there’s still so much standing in your way. 

***

It’s late at night when you finally get back home. There had still been much to do after your arrival at the garage. Both you and Howzer had spoken to Senator Chuchi, and you had been introduced to the clones that had rescued Howzer, and the clones that had been part of Howzer’s squad. 

Howzer had also been a bit hesitant to leave his men, but at their insistence he had left with you. It wasn’t like you were going that far, and you wouldn’t stop him if he wanted to return to see them, or to help the fledgling rebellion. You had been briefed on their operation and sworn to secrecy, though you wouldn’t even dream of revealing them. 

“Here it is.” You say, leading Howzer inside the bakery. “My pride and joy.” 

He smiles, glancing around. “It’s cuter in person.” 

You had shown him images of your bakery in your shared dream space many times. When you’d bought the space, when you’d finished renovating, when you’d opened, and many times after as you changed aesthetics and decor. 

You smile proudly. “I put a lot of work into her.” 

He steps closer to you. "I can tell."

You stare up at him, getting lost in those eyes once more. You’re tempted to close the distance, but you don’t want to push too much. Especially not with him just having been rescued a few hours ago. 

“I have one employee, Mina.” You say, breaking the silence as you show him around the bakery. “She sort of knows about you already. Her sister helped me get in to see Senator Chuchi.” You pause by the door that leads up to your apartment. “I’m sure you’ll meet eventually, but don’t worry. She’s basically family. I’d trust her with my life.” 

You lead him up to your small apartment above the bakery. It’s not the most comfortable space, but it’s convenient and since it was just you, it worked.

You do wish you’d picked up a little before you left. 

You have crates of new bakeware stacked everywhere, along with more supplies for the bakery on the kitchen counter. It’s not so much messy as just cluttered. You had been meaning to move the crates down to the kitchen downstairs, but that was a lot of work, and with everything going on, you were a bit distracted. 

“Sorry, I’ll get this stuff cleared out tomorrow.” You say, stuffing a couple things in a crate before closing the top. You’re glad it’s the weekend and your bakery is closed. It will give you time to adjust, as well as figure some things out with Howzer. 

You straighten up, meeting Howzer’s gaze. He’s watching you, an unreadable expression on his face. You shift on your feet, unsure of what to say. You hadn’t thought this far ahead. You had been so focused on his rescue and then meeting him, you hadn’t planned much else. 

“You’re, uh, probably exhausted.” You say, breaking the silence. “You can have the spare bedroom.” You lead him across the living room to the door for the spare bedroom. “It doesn’t get used often,” You’re glad the bed is still made at least. “I don't remember the last time someone used it. There’s blankets in the closet if you get cold, but it gets pretty warm up here when the ovens are going in the kitchen downstairs. If you get too hot, you can turn on the air conditioning. I don’t bother since I’m downstairs most of the day and it cools off up here by the time I get done. Of course, we’re closed tomorrow so that won’t be much of a problem-” 

A hand on your arm stops your rambling. You stare down at it for a moment before you follow it up to Howzer’s face. “It’s fine.” He says, giving you a small smile. “I think this is the nicest room I’ve been in.” 

You open and close your mouth a few times. “That’s horribly depressing.” 

His hand slides down your arm until he reaches your hand, taking it in his. “I’d sleep on the floor if it meant I could be close to you.” 

Your cheeks warm once more, your stomach flipping at his words. “Well, I won’t make you do that. You can make yourself at home here. I’ll go out in the morning and pick up some stuff for you. I’m up pretty early usually anyway. Help yourself to anything you’d like, whenever you’d like.” You bite your lip, cutting off your rambling once more. 

“Thank you.” He squeezes your hand gently. “For everything.” 

“Well, I couldn’t just sit and do nothing.” You shrug. “I’m glad things worked out like they did.” 

“Fate has a way of making sure things do work out.” He says, squeezing your hand. 

“I guess it does.” You stare up into his eyes. 

You stand there for a few moments, just staring at one another. It doesn’t seem uncomfortable, the silence between you. You know it will take some adjusting for both of you. Him more so, adjusting to a civilian life. A civilian life he has to hide in. 

Senator Chuchi, and the other clones had cautioned both of you about anyone seeing Howzer. Especially since the Empire was aware of their interception and rescue. Though it was unlikely they’d send out a big search as that would warrant too much attention, if the wrong person saw Howzer, it would put both of you in danger. 

It was worth the risk. Though you occasionally had some higher-profile customers, you weren’t worried about them. You could easily hide Howzer in your home, and you knew where to go if you ever needed to run. Coruscant was a big place. There were plenty of places to hide. 

“I’ll, uh, let you get some sleep.” You say, pulling away from him, even though you feel you could stand there and stare at him for hours. “My room’s just off the kitchen. I’m a light sleeper so, just knock if you need anything.” 

You back out of the room slowly, hesitant to leave him but you’re starting to feel the tiredness weighing down your limbs. You know he has to be tired too. You wonder how long it’s been since he’s gotten a good night’s sleep. 

***

You settle into life with Howzer surprisingly easily. He tiptoes a bit, but you suppose that’s to be expected for someone new to civilian life. You return to a normal schedule at the bakery to keep up appearances. The last thing you need right now is for someone to suspect you of anything. 

You don’t tell Mina right away about Howzer living upstairs in your apartment. You want to give things time to settle, time to cool down before you share his whereabouts. You feel a bit paranoid about everything, but if it keeps Howzer safe, then it’s worth it. 

You haven’t used your dream space since he arrived. Though, with him being so close there wasn’t really a reason to. If you wanted to talk to him, he was only a room or a flight of stairs away. It feels surreal. 

Despite being so close, you both tiptoe around each other a bit. You hadn’t really known what to expect once you had him in front of you. You’re not really sure anyone knows what to expect when they first meet their soulmate. You’d had the benefit of speaking to him long before you actually met him, so you already knew a lot about each other, but yet, there’s still hesitation there.

You don’t really know each other. 

You’re a bit afraid to push, a bit afraid to start asking. He has to process it, and you want to give him time to do that. He’d given up a lot, risked a lot, and lost many of his men. That was just at the hands of the Empire. He had suffered through the war too.

He has nightmares often. 

The first time you heard him, it had been in the quiet hours of the early morning. You’d woken and heard the rustling sheets as he fought whatever enemy he was facing, the quiet mutterings as he relieved whatever horrible thing he was facing. 

You had debated getting up, but ultimately decided on it, not wanting to force him to continue to suffer through his nightmare. You got up and slipped to his room, watching his body jerk on the bed, brows pinched in a frown. 

“Howzer?” You asked, stepping closer to the bed. 

His eyes snapped open, body jerking upright. You suddenly found yourself with a blaster pointed at your chest. You stumbled back a step, gasping in shock. Clarity crosses his features, the blaster in his hand shaking as it stays pointed at you. 

He curses, the blaster slowly lowering. You can see the guilt, the regret in his gaze. You slowly move to his side, gently peeling his fingers from around the blaster. You drop it on the bed behind you, sinking down next to him. You’re not sure when he had gotten the blaster, but you can understand why he would feel he needed it. He’d practically been born with a blaster in hand. Of course having one now, especially in such a vulnerable situation, had to be comforting. 

“I could have shot you.” He gasps out, his breaths shaky. 

You lace your fingers with his, squeezing gently. “It was my fault. I shouldn’t have snuck up on you.” 

“I could have killed you.” He says, voice shaking. 

“But you didn’t.” You say, turning his face to look at you. “I’m alright. It was my fault.”

You can see the tears shining in his eyes from the dim light coming in the window. You hate it, you hate his suffering, you hate that he’ll blame himself for this. You hate that you feel so helpless, but you know there’s some things he has to work through on his own. 

You can’t magically heal all of him. No matter how badly you wish you could. 

***

The nightmares continue

You wake up hearing his gasps and grunts, the thrashing of his body in the sheets often. Ever since he pulled a blaster on you, you’ve been hesitant to wake him. You had been lucky he hadn’t fired, that he’d woken quickly enough to realize what was going on. Realize who was standing in front of him. 

Instead you do research. He had figured out a way to control the dream space, to keep it from happening after he was arrested by the Empire. You hadn’t used it since he contacted you before his rescue, but perhaps you could figure out a way to use it to help him. 

In your research you learn dream spaces are controlled entirely by the soulmates themselves. It’s mostly done on a subconscious level after the first initial dream. The yearning, the need to see your soulmate drives the pull into the dream space. If both are asleep at the same time, one can pull the other in. One can also shut off the dream space from the other, even without rejection. 

So Howzer in his desperation to keep you safe had subconsciously cut off your dreamspace for months. It had only opened back up when he had wanted to contact you. When he needed to contact you. 

Perhaps you can use that to your advantage. 

You wait until Howzer has another nightmare before you try it. It takes a few minutes, some deep thinking, until suddenly you’re floating on that familiar feeling, the world around you going white. 

He’s there, looking around in shock. He’s breathing heavily, eyes still wide with fear. He says your name in confusion, brows pinching as he frowns. 

“I did it.” You say, stepping up to him. “It worked.” 

His frown deepens. “What did you do?” 

“You can control the dream space.” You explain, telling him everything you’ve learned. You want to help him with his nightmares, and this was the safest way for both of you. Not that you thought he’d pull a blaster on you, or shoot you, but you could never be too careful. 

“Thank you.” He says, relaxing a bit as the nightmare falls away, left in the past. 

“You know you can talk to me.” You say. “I can’t really understand what it was like, but you know I’ll listen.” 

His gaze drops, shoulders slumping. “I don’t want to scare you away.” 

You shake your head, wishing you could touch him. “You won’t scare me. Nothing you could say would scare me. Let me help you. I want to help you.” 

He slowly lifts his gaze, his eyes meeting yours. You give him a small smile, wishing you could reach out and smooth the small frown pinched between his brows. You wish you could run your fingers over his face, ease the tension in his body. 

You’ve never cursed your alarm more than you do at that moment. 

***

The weekend couldn’t come soon enough. The bakery seemed extra busy that week, and you had barely gotten time to take a break and check on Howzer. You know he’s fine, you know he’s capable of entertaining himself and keeping himself busy. You can’t help but worry about him, though. 

You get off late every day, dragging your feet up the steps, dreading another early morning. You love the bakery, and you wouldn’t change anything, but sometimes the exhaustion really begins to hit you. 

Howzer always looks concerned, usually starting to piece together something for dinner as you drag yourself in the door. He’s no professional chef, considering he lived off rations most of his life, but he does alright. He doesn’t seem to mind doing it, and you’re more than willing to let him help out a bit. Especially if it means you don’t have to stand in a kitchen more than you already do. 

Over the weekend you planned on testing new flavors for the bakery. It was getting about time to start revamping the menu again, and you had a few things you wanted to test. You’d usually force it on Mina and her soulmate to try, but you have Howzer now. He’d never really had anything sweet before he met you, and you had rectified that very quickly. 

You rise early as usual, taking care not to be too loud as you set to start making some cakes and pastries. You hum quietly to yourself as you begin mixing, measuring out ingredients and getting the pans ready. 

Howzer rises not long after, equally an early riser, though you were usually up before him. He watches you for a while, eyes following you around the kitchen. 

He doesn’t move until you’re starting on the second batch, joining you in the kitchen. He moves hesitantly, despite his posture always speaking to his training, his status. He took up a lot of space in any room, even if he was trying to make himself seem smaller. 

“Can you teach me?” He asks, stepping up next to you. 

You look up at him in surprise. “You want to learn how to make cakes?” 

He shrugs. “Yeah.” 

You stare down at the mixer before shrugging. “Sure, why not.”

You grab an apron for him, helping him tie it before you start explaining things. Ingredients, measurements, how much to add to the pans, how long to bake them for. You teach him how to make frosting too, how perfect everything has to be, how to know when it’s mixed just enough. 

He starts to talk too as you guide him, telling you about everything. From the time you last spoke right before he defied Imperial orders to when he was rescued. He tells you what happened to him, and the little he knew about what happened to the others. 

Your heart aches for him as he spills everything, everything that haunts him in his nightmares. You can understand why they’re so bad, why they plague him so much. 

You wrap your arms around him as you wait for the cakes to cool, pulling him against your chest. You hadn’t shared much contact at all since he moved into your apartment. You’d been separated by hesitation and your own busy schedule. You know he’s here, you know he’s real, but it feels good to hold him. You want to hold him and never let go. You want to be with him every minute of every day. You want to protect him and ease his nightmares away. 

“Sleep with me.” You say, voice slightly muffled by his chest. 

“What?” He chuckles nervously, trying to pull away but you tighten your hold around him. 

“Sleep in my bed with me. At night.” You say, trying to calm the nervous pounding of your heart. It matches his pounding against your ear. “Maybe...maybe it will help with the nightmares.” 

“I don’t want to accidentally hurt you.” He says. 

“I said I was a light sleeper. As soon as you start to have a nightmare, I can slip into the dream space and pull you out.” You say. “It’s worth a try.” 

He sighs, wrapping his arms tightly around you once more. “I guess.” 

You smile. “I’ve never had a man sound so disappointed to sleep in the same bed as me before.” 

He pulls away, staring down at you with a dark look on his face. 

You burst out laughing, shaking your head. “Don’t worry. You’ll be the first to actually do it.” You shake your head. “Plenty have offered, but you know how busy I am and besides, I’ve been waiting on the right person.” 

He shakes his head, a smile forming on his face. “You think you’re so funny.” 

You grin, flicking frosting onto his nose. “I’m hilarious.” 

He looks offended before a wicked grin forms on his face, his arms scooping you up before you can even turn and run. You squeal, wiggling in his grasp. He loses his hold on you, both of you falling onto the floor in your small kitchen. He softens the drop with his arms, one hand cradling the back of your head as you hit the floor, and he falls on top of you. He’s a solid weight over you, your faces inches apart. 

You stare up into his eyes, your arms snaking around his neck. He drops just slightly closer, your breaths mingling. You lift your head just slightly before darting your tongue out to lick the frosting off his nose. 

His nose scrunches before he laughs, shaking his head. “You could just kiss me like a normal person.” 

“Who said I was normal?” You grin before you’re pulling him down, your lips meeting his. 

***

Howzer moved into your bed that night. He was still plagued by nightmares for the first few nights, but there was no incident, nothing like the first night he’d had a nightmare in your apartment. You had eased him into the dream space every time, talking him down before you inevitably woke thanks to your early alarm. 

He rises with you the first few times, until he eventually settles enough to give you a sleepy kiss before rolling over and going back to sleep. 

He also likes to cuddle. It had been a bit awkward at first, until you’d woken with his arms around you. You hadn’t said anything, and it easily became something natural. You gravitate towards each other as you were naturally made to do. 

You wake early one weekend, as you were wont to do. Not as early as you had to for work, but still too early for the weekend. Howzer agrees, his arms wrapped tight around you from behind. You can feel him, every part of him pressed up against your back. He’s shirtless, only his thin sleep pants and your own shorts separating you. His arms around your waist have pushed your shirt up, his skin touching yours. 

You can feel the energy between you, the tingling from where you’re connected. It’s a warm feeling, a comforting feeling. You feel safe, like nothing else in the world could hurt you, could come between you, so long as you’re touching. 

“Go back to sleep.” He murmurs, lips brushing your neck. 

You bite your lip at the sensation, goosebumps forming on your skin. He nuzzles his face closer, a warm puff of air ghosting over your skin as he exhales. You bite your lip, dropping your hands to his arms, trailing your fingers along his skin. He shifts against you, pressing even closer behind you. 

“I can’t.” You say, pushing back against him. 

He hums, one hand pushing higher beneath your sleep shirt, palm and fingers splaying across your stomach. You gasp at the sensation, shifting against him once more. You haven’t done more than kissing and some exploring, and plenty of cuddling. You can’t deny the heat pooling between your legs as he grinds against you, his half-hard length pressing against your ass. 

“Howzer?” You ask quietly, turning just slightly so you can see him. He lifts his head so he can stare down at you. “I’d like you to fuck me now.” 

His hand slips from beneath your shirt to cup your face. “You sure, mesh’la?” 

You take the hand on your face, boldly slipping it under your shorts so it’s resting against your damp panties. “I’m ready.” 

The corner of his lips lift in a grin. “That’s pretty good evidence.” He pushes against your underwear, applying pressure to your clit. 

You gasp, fingers wrapping around his wrist. “I’m ready. I want to do it.” 

He leans down, kissing you softly. “As long as you’re sure.” 

“I’m sure.” You say, kissing him hard. 

His tongue slips into your mouth, the hand between your legs beginning to circle your clit over your panties. You cling to him, allowing him to work your body up. You could get lost in him so easily, in his tender touches, his strong demeanor.

He’s utterly perfect. 

You moan against his lips as he continues to tease you through your panties, your own hand trailing down his chest. You trace the lines of his muscles, slowly working your way down his stomach. His hips press closer to your hand, a groan rumbling through his chest. 

You nip at his bottom lip as he pulls back, moving his body so he’s hovering over you. His hand pulls free of your shorts, fingers looping under the waistband before tugging them down your legs. You pull your shirt over your head, leaving yourself bare before him. You fight the urge to hide under his gaze, the urge to cover yourself as he studies you. 

He leans his body over yours, pressing a kiss to your lips. “So kriffing beautiful.” He murmurs, his lips trailing down your jaw to your neck. 

“Howzer,” You gasp as he nips at the sensitive skin, your arms wrapping around his strong back. 

You can feel the pulsing beneath your skin, the electricity starting to ignite your nerve endings as you get closer and closer to him. He’s so big and warm over you, the pulsing feeling shooting down between your thighs. 

You need him. 

Your fingers trail down his back before they slip under the waistband of his sleep pants. You begin to tug them down and he pulls away just enough to help you, kicking them off the end of the bed. He’s thick and hard, the tip of his cock leaking. You bite your lip as you stare at him, thighs clenching in anticipation. 

“Kriff, I need you so bad.” He groans, burying his face in your chest. He licks and nips at your skin, leaving marks in his wake. It’s so possessive, the way he leaves his mark on you, the way his hands grip your sides, your hips. 

“Take me.” You say, letting your thighs fall open for him. “I’m yours.” 

He stares down at your glistening pussy, licking his lips. “All mine.” 

“Only yours.” You gasp as his fingers trail along your slick folds, gathering the wetness there to wet his cock. 

He slips his cock along your folds, teasing you before he lines himself up. You watch him as he eases the head of his cock inside, your body stiffening a bit at the stretch. His hands grip your hips, gently massaging the skin in an attempt to ease the stretch and help you relax.

“So kriffing tight.” He breathes as he slips further in, moving slowly to give you time to adjust. 

He folds his body over yours as he sinks completely inside you, lips tracing a path from your chest to your jaw. He’s so big, stretching you so much. You wrap yourself around him, holding onto him as your body adjusts to his cock. 

“So good for me.” He whispers in your ear, shifting his hips just slightly. “So perfect.” 

You moan as his cock moves inside you, your legs tightening around his waist. 

“You like that?” He groans, pulling out just a little before sinking back into you. “Feel good?” 

“So good.” You gasp, hips lifting to meet his slow thrusts. 

“Good girl.” He murmurs, pulling out further, before sinking back in. 

You cling to him as he fucks you deep and slow, his arms wrapped around you just as tightly. You can feel him, every part of him as he makes love to you, your very souls connecting. It’s almost overwhelming, being so connected, being so full of him. 

“Howzer!” You gasp his name as you cum, shaking under him. 

He groans into your neck, hips jerking as he spills into you. 

Neither of you move, still wrapped around each other, still completely connected. You’re practically vibrating with energy as the feeling of him fills you and overwhelms your body. The warm puffs of his breath on your sweat-slicked skin, the beat of his heart echoing in your chest keeps you grounded, keeps you here with him. 

“I love you,” He whispers, lips brushing your skin. 

“I love you too.” You whisper in his ear, tightening your hold around him. 

(I'm going to try putting the taglist in a reblog. See if that works.)

[officialgleamstar]

welcome to this year's soulmate september!! (a day late, lol)

soulmate september is an annual, self-prescribed challenge where i try to post one soulmate fic for every single day of september. yes, this does get annoying for everyone involved. no, i have never successfully done this. i am still doing it for the fourth year in a row because i love it ❤️

in the past, i've posted all of my fics separately, but i wanted to compile them into one post this year so that i'm not spamming tags too much, haha. below the cut, i already have the first two fics added, and i will be adding every fic i've written this month! thank you so much for joining me again :D

the most beautiful woman in the world oxventure: deadlands, edie/garnet, 748 words soulmate au: the first words you hear your soulmate speak are written on your arm.

we keep spinning on repeat oxventure d&d, dob & liliana, 1.9k words soulmate au: aging stops at 18 until you find your soulmate so the two of you can grow old together.

unwise decisions oxventure d&d, corazón/&merilwen, 1.8k words soulmate au: when you write something on your own skin it appears on your soulmate’s skin as well.

my other heart oxventure: blades in the dark, kasimir/zillah, 909 words soulmate au: soulmates share the same heartbeat—when one feels panicked, shocked, etc, the other can feel it too.

i feel fine, i'm freaking out, and i feel fine oxventure d&d, merilwen/prudence, 1.8k words soulmate au: marks or stains of the color black are somewhere on your body until you and your soulmate finally make physical contact. once the mark is touched, it fades to be consistent with the person’s skin color.

but all i need is here oxventure d&d, dob/egbert, 300 words soulmate au: your soulmate's hands have a magnetic draw to your own.

eschew oxventure: deadlands, polyamorous edie, 1.3k words, chapter 1/2 soulmate au: your soulmate's name is written on your wrist.

as the rock bears the weather oxventure d&d, dob/katie, 1.7k words soulmate au: the last words your soulmate says to you are written on your skin, so you do not know it is them until they are gone.

eschew oxventure: deadlands, polyamorous edie, 1.1k words, chapter 2/2 soulmate au: your soulmate's name is written on your wrist.

you always leave me wanting more oxventure d&d, dob/prudence, 1.2k words soulmate au: when you close your own eyes, you can see what your soulmate sees.

stupid with love oxventure: deadlands, edie/silas, 1k words soulmate au: the touch of a soulmate can heal you from affliction.

be right by your side no matter what oxventure d&d, dob & merilwen, 1.7k words soulmate au: everyone is born with a superpower. when soulmates are together, their powers are nullified by each other.

i, i love you like a love song, baby (M) oxventure d&d, corazón/prudence, 1k words soulmate au: when your soulmate listens to music or is singing, you hear it in your own head as well.

so much for my happy ending oxventure: wyrdwood, cressida/morven + cressida/robin, 1.8k words soulmate au: there is a timer that counts down to when you will meet your soulmate.

the importance of nothing oxventure d&d, liliana/merilwen, 1.5k words soulmate au: the date that you meet your soulmate will be on your wrist.

we can't be friends (M) oxventure d&d, corazón/cuore, 500 words soulmate au: you are born with a birthmark that is shared by your soulmate.

[schrodingerspsycho]

Maybe This Time - Part 1

Pairing - Van Palmer x Band Kid!Reader

Warnings - drug use (weed), blink-182

Word Count - 7.6k

Summary - Van falls for a band kid. What will it take for them to realize that you’ve fallen for them too?

Author’s Note - Merry Christmas everyone!🎄🎁🎅☃️❄️ (and happy holidays to everyone who celebrates other things!) I’m so glad I got this done in time, it ended up being a lot longer than I expected. Lots of fluff. No crash AU. They/them pronouns used for Van and reader, both are referred to as girls. And I can’t bear to write Tai and Van in the same story and not have them be together because they’re soulmates, so Taissa just doesn’t exist in this one. I also created a whole marching show for this and it was the most difficult scene I’ve ever written so please show this some love🙏

Help Palestine by clicking this link!🇵🇸

On the very first day of school, Van noticed you. You were in their English class and you were cute, far cuter than they remembered. But you were quiet and you sat in the row in front of them, so they never really got the chance to talk to you. Sure, they were loud and outgoing with their friends and their team, but they were much more reserved with people they didn’t know. Especially a girl that they liked.

It was easy enough to keep you off their mind for most of the semester. It wasn’t an all-consuming crush or anything, just a reason for them to love a class they’d never been very good at. That was until the few weeks after fall break when soccer practice overlapped with marching band rehearsal.

Coach Martinez always likened the distant sounds of the band to a stand-in for the crowd cheering and claimed it was good to practice ignoring outside distractions. It bothered some of the other girls, but Van always liked listening to them while the team had the ball on the other side of the field during scrimmages. Then one day as they were heading toward the locker rooms after practice, they heard a laugh from the direction of the band room. It was loud and melodic, and when they saw you smiling with your friends, their heart skipped a beat. Screw soccer; they already won nationals last year. Their new goal was to be the one who made you laugh like that.

“What are you looking at?” Natalie asked, coming up behind them. Van didn’t even realize they’d stopped walking.

“That girl’s in my English class,” they answered, pointing. “I didn’t know they were in the band.”

“Oh yeah, Y/N. They play the trombone, I think.”

“Wait, you know them?” Van asked, sounding a little too excited. Thankfully, Nat pretended not to notice.

“Yeah, they’re friends with Kevyn. I’ve smoked weed with them a few times. They’re cool but kinda nerdy. Kinda like you.” Nat gave them a knowing smirk, and Van turned away to hide their blush. “C’mon, let’s go. Jackie’ll have a conniption if we’re late for the post-practice meeting.”

Van nodded and followed her into the locker room, but they barely heard a word of Jackie’s speech. They couldn’t stop thinking about you. And as much as they hated having crushes, the butterflies in their stomach weren’t as painful as they’d been in the past. Maybe with you, things could actually go their way this time. You knowing Nat certainly seemed like a good sign. It was like Lottie said, Van decided. There’s no such thing as false hope.

Van Palmer sat one row behind and two seats to the left of you in English class. You’d been going to the same school for four years now, but this was the first class you’d had together. You couldn’t help but hope that you’d be able to get to know them better, but the way your heart pounded every time you walked into the room made it impossible to even say hi to them. You’d had a huge crush on them ever since last year when you and Kevyn went to see his friend Natalie play in the state championship game. That’s when the beautiful redheaded goalie caught your eye, and you’d been dreaming about them ever since.

Luckily, you didn’t have to talk to them on your own. After three months of less-than-stellar class discussions, your teacher decided to let you pair off into groups to talk about the latest reading assignment. You took a deep breath as your classmates shuffled around you, but before you could even get up from your chair, Van was standing beside you.

“Hey, Y/N, do you want to work together?” they asked, wringing their hands nervously.

“Yeah, sure,” you nodded. They returned your smile and slid into the chair next to you, its usual occupant now giggling with his friends in the back row. “So, what did you think of Frankenstein?”

“It was the scariest book about parenting I’ve ever read,” they quipped. You snorted, and their eyes shone as a proud grin spread across their face.

“That’s one way to describe it,” you smiled. “So who do you think was the villain, Frankenstein or his monster?”

“Oh, Victor was the villain, no question,” they declared. “To create life only to abandon it when you know its existence is cursed? C’mon, he’s literally the definition of a mad scientist.”

“Yeah, but the monster did some pretty fucked up things too. I mean, he killed a kid.”

“And that was horrible, obviously. But I think the real question is whether his circumstances made him evil or if the darkness was inside him all along. And then if it was inside him the whole time, then isn’t it really Victor’s fault for creating him in the first place?”

“That’s a really good way of looking at it,” you said, and they glanced down at the floor. “I hadn’t thought of it like that.”

Van shrugged. “I really liked this book. I don’t know, something about it just clicked with me.”

“Well, then you can speak for both of us when Ms. Fite comes over because I’ve got nothing,” you chuckled.

They smirked. “Yeah, alright. I think I can do that.”

Despite the rest of the conversation flowing naturally with you trading jokes as you discussed the book, you didn’t talk to Van much after that. But they did smile and wave at you every day when you walked into class, so you considered that a win. And you noticed that they were speaking up more in class discussions, which you knew had to be a coincidence. But they were really smart, and it brought a smile to your face every time you heard them speak. You were starting to feel like Frankenstein’s monster, with your perfect girl just out of reach, unable to make them yours.

“Hey, does anyone want to go to the movies with me Friday night?” Natalie asked as the team got changed after practice a week later. “I’ve been wanting to see Bound.”

“Ooh, I’ve been wanting to see that too!” Lottie exclaimed, getting up to stand at Nat’s side.

“Jackie? Shauna? What about you? I heard you talking about it a few practices ago.”

“I wish we could, but Shauna and I are gonna go see Jeff play in the football game,” Jackie smiled, winking at Shauna.

“But the football team sucks,” Mari said with a look of disgust.

“Yeah, but it’s kinda fun to watch them play like shit,” Shauna smirked.

“It’s very fun to watch them play like shit. And us national champs get in free!” Jackie grinned.

“Can I come to the movies?” Misty asked eagerly, bouncing over from the equipment closet. Lottie scoffed, but Nat turned around slowly and looked her up and down.

“Sure,” she said, and it was clear Misty was trying hard to contain her excitement. She was practically vibrating. “Meet us by the field after school.”

“Okay! I can’t wait!” Misty beamed, skipping away. Lottie raised an eyebrow at Nat.

“Oh, fuck off,” she defended, smirking. “She’s awkward, but she’s harmless.”

“Yeah, be nice to her. She’s a great manager,” Laura Lee chimed in, and Jackie gave her an approving nod.

Lottie, Shauna, and Mari rolled their eyes, and Van chuckled. They were too preoccupied with thoughts of you to join in on the teasing like they usually did, but they’d been listening to every word.

“What about you, Palmer?” Nat asked, walking up to them as she grabbed her bag. “You wanna come see Bound with us? It seems like your kinda movie.”

“It is. That’s why I saw it opening weekend,” Van replied. Nat nodded.

“Alright, suit yourself,” she said, slamming her locker door shut. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See ya,” Van smiled as Nat followed Lottie out of the locker room. Then when the conversation died down, they walked over to where Jackie and Shauna were giggling together, their hands stuffed into their back pockets. “Hey, can I come with you guys to the game on Friday?”

“The football game?” Jackie asked in disbelief. “Since when does Van Palmer have any interest in football?”

“I don’t. I just wanna get out of the house,” they shrugged, glancing at the floor. It was believable enough. None of their teammates knew any of the details, but they knew their mom was a bitch. “I mean, if we get in free, then it seems like a pretty good way to pass the time.”

“Sure,” Shauna smiled. “I can give you a ride, too.”

“Thanks.”

“Great!” Jackie exclaimed, reaching out and squeezing Van’s hand. “This is going to be so fun!”

Van nodded in agreement and turned back to their locker. It would be fun, but not for the reason Jackie thought. They just had to make sure they didn’t find out that they only wanted to watch you march.

By the time Friday rolled around, Van still hadn’t worked up the courage to talk to you again. You did smile and wave back at them every time you walked into class though, so they considered that a win. But Van could never be satisfied with small victories. They were a national soccer champion, after all. They hoped that stepping into your world would give them something to talk to you about. Then maybe they’d be closer to winning the prize they were really after.

Van didn’t have to wait long before Shauna pulled up, with Jackie calling out to them excitedly from the passenger side. They greeted them with a smile as they climbed into the backseat, and Jackie turned to look at them as Shauna sped away.

“So, are you excited for the game?”

“Excited to see our team get their asses handed to them, more like,” Shauna said. Van laughed.

“Well, now I am.”

“Oh, you’re gonna love it. They’re awful,” Jackie sneered. Before Van could respond, Shauna reached out and switched the tape to Nevermind. Jackie whipped around to glare at her playfully. “Hey!”

“Sorry, were you listening to that?”

“Yeah, I was, actually.”

“Well, too bad. Van likes Nirvana, and so do I. You’re outvoted.”

Jackie scoffed, pretending to be offended, and Shauna grinned. “You didn’t even ask Van. Maybe they should get to choose the music.”

“No, I like listening to you two bicker like an old married couple,” Van deadpanned, which sent all three girls into a fit of laughter.

“See, this is why we really go to the football games,” Shauna said, glancing at Van in the rearview mirror. Jackie nodded.

“Oh, for sure. It’s never about the boys.”

Van chuckled and turned to stare out the window. If only they knew, they thought to themself with a smile. If only they knew.

They arrived at the game just as the band was marching around the track. And although it took more effort than they would like to admit, Van managed not to look for you as they followed Jackie and Shauna into the bleachers. They would have plenty of time to admire you when you performed at halftime. That was when the band played, wasn’t it?

“Why are those seats empty?” Van asked, pointing to the section next to them. They were in the student section, which was far less populated than it was for their games, right next to the stairs and a few rows from the top.

“That’s where the band sits,” Jackie explained. Van’s eyes widened. They sat down and started bouncing their leg, trying not to picture you sitting just a few feet away from them. Luckily, they were distracted when the band began to take the field. Oh, right, there was a pregame.

“So why did you really want to come to the game?” Jackie asked, leaning forward to peer at Van.

“What?”

“Oh, come on. We all know you’ve never wanted to see a football game before. There’s gotta be a reason,” Jackie smirked, and Van stared at the ground. “Do you like one of the guys on the football team?”

Van made a face.

“Leave them alone, Jackie,” Shauna said. She was sitting between them, and Van was suddenly very grateful for the small buffer she provided.

“I’m just asking! You don’t have to tell us who it is, Van. But I can tell there’s someone you were hoping to see.”

“I don’t like any of the football players,” Van said, repulsion evident on their face. But before any of them could say anything else, the band began to play the fight song. Van turned to watch, smiling unconsciously when they spotted you in the front row.

“Oh my god, wait! Do you like one of the guys in the band?” Jackie exclaimed. Van felt their face heating up. “No way, you totally do! What instrument does he play?”

“I don’t like any guys,” Van defended weakly.

“Oh, come on! Your face is as red as your hair, I know you’re lying. Just tell us about him! We can keep a secret!”

“Jackie, just drop it,” Shauna growled. “They don’t have to tell you anything.”

“Jeez, we’re just talking about boys,” Jackie said. Van shifted uncomfortably, and Shauna gave them an apologetic glance. “Y’know, if you tell me who it is, I might be able to give you some advice on how to woo him. I mean, this is so exciting! You’ve never liked a guy before!”

Van scoffed.

“I don’t think they want to talk about boys,” Shauna said pointedly, but Van missed her inflection and Jackie’s response. The band had begun filing into the stands and they sat up to watch, their eyes never leaving you. Their heart beat faster the closer you got until you finally found your seat, right next to the stairs and one row in front of Van. You started when you locked eyes, a shy grin spreading across your face, and Van beamed and waved at you. You waved back before turning to hear what your director was saying, and Van let out a shaky sigh.

“Holy shit! You like that girl, don’t you?” Jackie practically yelled in surprise.

“Shut up!” Van hissed, whipping around to glare at her. “What the fuck, Jackie?”

“I’m sorry,” she said sheepishly, much quieter this time. “I just didn’t know you were a lesbian.”

Van put their head in their hands and groaned.

“We won’t tell anyone,” Shauna said softly, patting Van’s back. “Right, Jackie?”

“Of course not! And we totally support you. I-I was just surprised- which now that I think about it, I probably shouldn’t be. It actually makes a lot of sense.”

“Seriously?”

“No, it’s fine,” Van sighed, giving Shauna a grateful glance. “I don’t really care about people knowing. I mean, don’t tell anyone, please, but it’s fine if you guys know. I just… don’t want Y/N to know that I like them.”

“Why not?” Jackie asked, her voice genuine. “If you like them, then you should ask them out.”

“I can’t just ask them out, I barely know them.”

“You did come to a football game just to see them play in the band,” Shauna remarked. “And they smiled at you. That seems pretty friendly to me.”

“They’re cute,” Jackie grinned. “Do you wanna tell us about them?”

“Well, they’re in my English class, and we did an assignment together last week. They’re really funny, and sweet, and… beautiful- god, I don’t know! This is stupid!”

“It’s not stupid,” Jackie chuckled.

“You’ve never talked about a crush before, have you?” Shauna asked warmly. Van shook their head.

“Before today, the only person who knew I was a lesbian was Nat, and that’s not really her thing,” they sighed. “And it’s not like I’ve ever done anything about a crush before anyway. It’s different for me! Before I can even ask if they might like me, I have to figure out if they like girls! And spoiler alert, most of the time, they don’t.”

“But you don’t know that. You just need to talk to them and ask. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?”

“No offense, Jackie, but I don’t think you know the first thing about homophobia.”

“You’re right, I don’t,” Jackie admitted. “But I do know about flirting. And Y/N has been staring at you for, like, five minutes.”

Van’s eyes widened as they fought the urge to turn around. “What? Really?”

“Totally. They’re trying to be subtle, but they’re not very good at it.”

Van grinned in spite of themself. “What do I do?”

“Smile back at them!” Jackie encouraged. “You’ve gotta let them know you’re interested.”

“Okay,” Van nodded, trying to swallow their nerves. They turned around slowly to find that you were indeed staring at them. They gave a little wave when they met your eyes, and you nearly missed when your director called your instruments up. “Oh, shit! I distracted them!” Van groaned. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“It’s fine! They’re still playing, aren’t they?” Jackie said, louder now over the sound of Eye of the Tiger. If they weren’t so embarrassed, Van would’ve marveled at how great you sounded.

“And their ears turned red,” Shauna whispered, leaning over and pointing. “You should at least talk to them as a friend. Y’know, get to know them. That’s probably the best way to find out if they like girls.”

“Okay, maybe you’re right,” Van conceded.

Jackie clapped her hands excitedly. “Yay! And you have to tell us how it goes, okay? I want to know all the details about you and your soon-to-be-girlfriend!”

“Fine,” Van smiled, rolling their eyes. “But neither one of you is allowed to talk during halftime. That’s when they perform.”

“Yeah, okay,” Shauna smirked while Jackie buried her head in her shoulder to hide her laughter. “We’ll be quiet.”

Van knew for a fact that Shauna and Jackie had never been quiet in their lives, but they just shook their head and kept their mouth shut. Luckily, the conversation shifted to other topics, and Van started to feel relaxed. And when the buzzer finally rang at the end of the first half, all their nerves had been replaced by eager anticipation.

Well, most of their nerves.

“And now, please welcome to the field your 1996 Wiskayok High School Marching Yellowjackets!” the announcer boomed. Someone slapped Van’s shoulder. They didn’t see if it was Jackie or Shauna, but they didn’t really care. All of their attention was focused on you. “This year’s performance is a tribute to the greatest spy in movie history. Please enjoy Bond, James Bond.”

“No way,” Van breathed as the first note rang out through the stadium. You were playing the 007 theme. It sounded exactly like it did in the movies! And Van should know, they’d seen all seventeen of them.

But just when they thought they couldn’t be more impressed, they noticed what formation the band was marching into. They had started out in lines like they were for the parade, but as they went along, parts of the band would break off and play in place, the squares forming five dots across the field. Just like the beginning of the gun barrel sequence.

“Holy shit,” Van whispered, scooting up to the edge of their seat. And if Jackie and Shauna were laughing at them, they didn’t notice. They watched with rapt attention as the band played, the sound filling the entire stadium. Then everyone began marching again, all moving in different directions at different gaits. How anyone could remember where to go was completely beyond Van as they gazed in wonder at the picture you were creating. The dot in the middle of the field had morphed into a circle, and everyone else formed eight curved lines spiraling away from it. Now they were the gun barrel! And when you all moved in sync across the field to move the gun barrel to the left, Van considered their mind officially blown. Then the drums made a sound like a gunshot, and they all began to trickle down to the front of the field, starting from the top. Just like the blood, they folded together until they were in one big row on the sideline. And when you played the final note, Van leapt to their feet and cheered.

“Oh my god, you’re so whipped,” Jackie laughed.

“Shut up,” Van said, still smiling. “I mean, come on! Tell me that wasn’t the coolest thing you’ve ever seen!”

“It was cool,” Shauna agreed. “But Jackie’s right. You’re totally whipped.”

“Alright, well, fuck both of you,” Van retorted, sitting back down as the announcer’s voice filled the stadium once more.

“The Wiskayok Marching Yellowjackets will now perform their second movement, “Nobody Does It Better” from the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me, featuring trombone soloist Y/N L/N!”

“Oh, shit, that’s them!” Van cried. The band all ran to stand in an arc, but you stayed on the sideline, front and center. Van fought the urge to leap to their feet again.

“Looks like your girl’s a rock star,” Jackie smirked.

“Hell yeah they are,” Van grinned. “I have great taste.”

The band started playing, and Van could hear Carly Simon’s voice in their head. It was incredible how the music could be played on a completely different set of instruments and still sound the same. And when you began to play your solo, the notes ringing out clear and beautiful through the microphone, Van couldn’t help but quietly sing along.

“But like heaven above me

The spy who loved me

Is keeping all my secrets safe tonight”

“In 1973, “Live and Let Die” earned the Bond series its first music-related Oscar nomination for best original song, performed by Paul McCartney and Wings,” the announcer explained when the second song ended. “And now, the Marching Yellowjackets will close out their performance with their version of this chart-topping hit, arranged by our very own Director Frank Jones!”

“Wait, “arranged”? What does that mean?” Jackie asked. Van wouldn’t have been able to answer; they were clueless about music too. But they didn’t hear her, because once again, they were too busy watching you. You had run back to stand with the other trombone players in the arc, and they could tell you were smiling even from the stands.

Once again your performance sounded exactly like it did in the movie. Even Jackie and Shauna were singing along this time. And before Van even realized “Live and Let Die” had ended, the band was playing the 007 theme and moving again. And when you played the final note, you formed the 007 logo in the center of the field. They leapt to their feet again, cheering even louder than before, and they only sat down when the band started making their way back to the stands.

“Woo! Way to go, band!” Jackie shouted once you were in earshot. “You guys were great!”

“What are you doing?” Van hissed.

“I’m just showing my appreciation for our music department,” Jackie shrugged coyly while Shauna snickered. “Do something, they’re looking at you!”

Van blushed and turned to find you smiling at them. They grinned back and flashed you a thumbs-up, which you returned with a chuckle.

“Aren’t you glad I’m here to be your wingwoman?” Jackie smirked.

“Yes,” Van sighed reluctantly, rolling their eyes. “But I will set you on fire if you do anything like that again. That was mortifying.”

“Oh, bite me,” she said sarcastically, a smug grin on her face. “Without me, I bet you wouldn’t even be able to say hi to them.”

“Well, maybe I like pining from the shadows.”

“Again, you came to the football game just to watch them march. That’s not very ‘from the shadows’ of you.”

“Shut up, Shauna,” Van laughed, nudging her.

The football team lost sixty-five to three, apparently their worst game all season. But Van couldn’t care less. They were on cloud nine for the whole second half, the world seeming to stop every time you turned around and grinned at them. They were barely able to pay attention to Jackie and Shauna’s playful bickering as they left the stadium.

“Van, look, there they are!” Jackie exclaimed, pointing subtly to where you were walking through the parking lot with your friends.

“You should go talk to them,” Shauna encouraged with a warm smile.

“No, I… I can’t do that,” Van stuttered, all their nerves returning at once. “They’re busy, I don’t want to bother them.”

“C’mon, they’re not doing anything!” Jackie said exasperatedly. “Just say hi, it’s not that hard! Go on, go!” She pushed Van toward you, but they just stood there, trying and failing to not stare at you.

“I just don’t wanna mess this up,” Van murmured.

“You’re not gonna mess it up,” Shauna said gently. “Just talk to them as a friend, remember? You got this.”

Van stepped forward hesitantly, biting their lip. Then a gust of wind knocked a feather out of your plume and blew it into Van’s left cheek. “Yeah, I can’t do this,” they gasped, turning back quickly.

“Yes, you can! There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Shauna said, but Van just hugged their chest tightly and shook their head.

“Look, either do it or don’t, but can you make a decision, please? It’s freezing out here,” Jackie complained. Shauna gave her a side-eye.

“It’s okay, Van. You’ll get another chance on Monday, right?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I guess,” they sighed. You were moving farther and farther away, but their anxiety kept them rooted to the spot. So much for their usual cocksure attitude; they couldn’t even say hi to a girl they liked.

They climbed into Shauna’s car and pressed their forehead against the window, watching you walk up to the band door and feeling sorry for themself. Then you made eye contact with them, your beautiful smile shining on your face. Van waved, but you disappeared into the band room like they weren’t there at all. I knew it. They never like girls, Van thought bitterly, putting their head in their hands. Or maybe they just don’t like me.

“They just waved at me again!” you exclaimed once the door had shut behind you.

“Oh my god, when?” Your two best friends ran up to you, grinning eagerly.

“Just now! They were leaving in their friend’s car, I just saw them!”

“Did you wave back?”

“No, I… I freaked out. I froze.”

“Oh, come on!” Lauren cried.

“You’ve been flirting with them the whole game, how could you drop the ball now?” Liv slapped you in the arm playfully.

“I didn’t mean to!” you groaned. “Trust me, no one’s more disappointed in me than I am.”

“I don’t know, I’m pretty invested in your love life,” Liv quipped.

“Do you really think Van likes me?”

“Of course they like you!” Lauren smiled. “You saw how they were looking at you, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Then you’ve gotta talk to them!” Liv insisted. “On Monday, in class. It’s the perfect time to make your move!”

“My move? What’s my move? I don’t have moves!”

“Just talk to them,” Lauren said. “The moves will come to you in the moment. All you gotta do is be yourself.”

“Yeah, Van would have to be a real idiot if they didn’t want you,” Liv chimed in. You smiled.

“Thanks, guys. I’ll try to talk to them on Monday.”

“Don’t try, just do it!” Liv smirked.

“We believe in you!” Lauren grinned. You rolled your eyes. It was a lot easier for them to say. They weren’t the ones who risked getting rejected by the most beautiful girl in school.

Despite your friends’ encouragement, neither one of you made an effort to talk to each other on Monday. Van still smiled and waved at you, and you returned the gesture like always, but that was as far as you had the guts to take it. Van tried not to let it sour their mood at practice that afternoon.

“Hey, how was Bound?” they asked when Nat and Lottie walked in.

“It was great,” Lottie answered. “It was what happened afterward that was a nightmare.”

“What do you mean?”

“Misty! She went fucking berserk on this old lady, it was crazy!”

“Some housewife was saying some homophobic shit after the movie,” Nat explained.

“And now, Misty’s banned from the theater,” Lottie huffed before walking away. Van raised an eyebrow at Nat.

“She was possessed!” she grinned with an adoring look in her eyes. “I was wrong, man. She’s definitely not harmless.”

Van scoffed. “Maybe I should’ve gone with you after all.”

“Naw, I bet you had fun at the football game,” Nat smirked, nudging them. Van looked away as she leaned in. “Did you enjoy the band’s performance?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, yeah? Then I’m sure you have no idea why Jackie and Shauna keep glancing over here either, do you?”

Van groaned.

“Did you tell them or did they find out?” Nat asked softly.

“They found out.”

“And are you good?”

Van smiled at her. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m good.”

“Good,” Nat nodded. Then she winked. “You should totally ask Y/N out, by the way.”

“Fuck you,” Van chuckled.

“It’s not me you should be fucking,” Nat teased. Van gaped at her as she scurried away, laughing. Van just shook their head and got changed for practice, avoiding Jackie and Shauna’s piercing gaze. If anything could get you off their mind, it was soccer.

It worked for a while. It was their best practice so far this season; they didn’t let a single ball get past them. But the respite was short-lived. Their thoughts of you returned the moment Coach Martinez blew the whistle at the end of practice, and so did their sour mood. And it only grew as the week went on and the idea of talking to you became more and more impossible. Luckily, Nat noticed Van’s pain and offered them the perfect solution.

“Hey,” Van greeted as they approached the spot behind the dumpsters where Nat had instructed them to meet. “Thanks again for hooking me up.”

“No problem,” Nat smiled. “Happy to help.”

Van nodded, ignoring Nat’s uncharacteristic cheeriness, and handed over the small wad of cash. Nat pocketed the money, and after glancing around to make sure no one was looking, handed Van a small bag of weed.

“I think you’re really gonna like this stuff,” she said with a wink.

“Thanks,” Van smiled, eyeing the weed hungrily. Then they heard footsteps behind them and they snapped their head up to stare fearfully at Nat.

“Don’t worry, it’s cool,” Nat said. And before Van could react, someone else had walked into their little hiding spot.

“Sorry I’m late,” a familiar voice said. “My trig teacher was being a bitch again and held us after the bell.”

“No problem,” Nat grinned. “I was just finishing up another sale. Have you, uh, met my teammate?”

“No, I don’t think I- Van.”

Van had finally turned around, and they were now face to face with their worst nightmare. Or their dream come true, depending on what happens next. “Hey, Y/N.”

“So you have met,” Nat said, breaking the silence after a few moments. “I figured, I’ve got two people buying from the same batch, why not do it at the same time?” She gave Van a knowing grin, and Van fought the urge to throttle her.

“Uh, yeah, that’s uh… smart,” you said. Then you handed her the money and she gave you a bag just like Van’s. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Nat replied. “Now, I’ve gotta run, but it would be better if you two could wait a minute before you leave. Y’know, make this look less like a drug deal.”

“Yeah, sure. We can do that,” you nodded, avoiding Van’s eyes. “Thanks again.”

“See ya around, Y/N. Van, you’ll have to tell me how you like it at practice next week.”

Van watched her go, and then they were left alone with you. The only sound was the pounding of their heart, and they prayed you couldn’t hear it.

“So, uh… how have you been?” you asked nervously.

“Good. You?”

“Good.”

“I saw you at the football game last week. Your show was really great.”

“Thanks,” you smiled. “I’m glad you got to see it.”

“It was so cool how you did the gun barrel sequence. And your solo sounded amazing!” Van gushed. “It was just like the movies! If I’d known that marching band was so cool, I would’ve gone to a football game a lot sooner.”

You blushed, and Van’s anxiety skyrocketed. They hadn’t meant to say that. Now they’d really messed up.

“I’m glad you liked it,” you breathed.

“I, uh, I have to go,” Van announced, clearing their throat loudly. “I have to catch the bus.”

“But the school buses have already left.”

“No, the city bus,” Van explained. “The nearest stop is a mile away, so I need to start walking.” They turned and left the spot behind the dumpsters, but you stopped them before they could get any farther.

“I could give you a ride,” you called. Van turned back around slowly. “If you want.”

“Are you sure?”

“Totally. I mean, I’ve got a car and nowhere to be. It’s not a limo or anything, but it’s better than the city bus.”

Now Van was the one who was blushing. “Yeah, that sounds great,” they grinned shyly.

“Perfect,” you beamed, pulling your key out of your pocket. “Right this way, m’lady.”

Van giggled and followed your lead. Maybe they really did have a chance this time.

“You can throw your backpack in the backseat,” you said as you climbed into the car. “And you can pick some music, my tapes are in the glovebox.”

Van nodded, placing their backpack at their feet and opening the glovebox. They were expecting to find two or three tapes, maybe four, but you had nearly a dozen stacked in there. “Woah!” they exclaimed, glancing between you and the tapes. “How do you have so many tapes? Are you, like, rich or something?”

“No, I’m not rich,” you chuckled. “My aunt owns the record store downtown. I get a discount on all the music I want, and they gave me a bunch of their old tapes from the seventies. David Bowie, Queen, the Ramones, stuff like that.”

“No way, I love Queen and Bowie!” Van cried.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah! I went as the Aladdin Sane album cover for Halloween a few years ago!”

“You did? That’s awesome!”

“Well, I already have the red hair,” Van joked. You laughed. “I love that record store, it’s so cool that your aunt owns it.”

“We’ll have to go there together sometime. I bet I can get you a discount too.”

“Yeah, that would be fun,” Van said softly, turning back to look through the tapes. They slid David Bowie’s Let’s Dance into the tape deck as you pulled out of the parking lot. You began tapping out the rhythm of “Modern Love” on your steering wheel, and Van joined you on air guitar. When the chorus came on you belted it out, both of you singing off-key. Everything felt so natural that Van almost forgot about being anxious.

“Do you usually buy from Nat?” you asked them.

“Yeah. I don’t smoke a lot of weed, but when I do I get it from her. I think everyone on the team does, it’s just easier. What about you?”

“I usually buy from Kevyn, actually. But he sent me to Nat this time. I guess he doesn’t have anything to sell right now or something.”

“Huh. Yeah, something like that,” Van muttered.

“Do you ever smoke with your teammates?”

“Sometimes I’ll smoke with Nat and Lottie, but most of the time I smoke alone. I usually have to smoke it right after I buy it since I can’t keep it at my house.”

“Can’t let your parents find it, huh? My folks are the same way. Couple’a hardasses,” you smirked.

“No, my mom will steal it and smoke it herself,” Van said humorlessly.

“Oh.” You sat in silence for a moment, not quite comfortable but not as awkward as before. “Do you have to be home by a certain time?”

“No,” Van shook their head. “Why?”

“Well, if you don’t want to go home yet, I was thinking we could head to the park a few blocks over. Maybe this time we don’t have to smoke alone.”

“Yeah, I’d really like that,” Van beamed. You returned their eager expression and changed course, turning the music up. Van couldn’t believe their luck.

“Why don’t you guys play at our soccer games?” Van asked while you were rolling your joints.

“We can’t march on the soccer field. We need the yard lines to figure out where we’re going,” you explained. “But we play at basketball games, and we don’t march at those. Y’know, I’m actually not sure.”

“I wish you did play at our games,” Van mused. “That would be so cool.”

“Yeah, it would be fun. I guess I’ll just have to go to them on my own. I can get some of the other trombones to come too. We’ll sing for you.”

Van chuckled. “I bet we’d be undefeated again this year if you did that.”

“Naw, you don’t need our help with that. I saw you playing at states last year. I don’t know anything about soccer, and even I could tell that you guys are amazing.”

“You saw us play at states?”

“Uh, yeah,” you said quietly after a beat, nearly dropping your joint as you tried to light it. “Oh, hey, the album ended.”

“Yeah, it did.”

“Here, let me play you something,” you said, reaching past them for the glovebox. “My cousin visited us from California last summer, and he introduced me to this awesome new band down there. They’re called blink-182.” You pulled out a tape that said Cheshire Cat and put it in and a punk rock guitar riff filled the car. “I think you’ll like them. They don’t take anything seriously.”

“Rude,” Van scoffed, taking a hit and blowing the smoke out the window. “I’m taking that as a compliment.”

You continued talking and laughing together as you got high, the weed and conversation relaxing you both. And by the time you got to the end of your joints, you were discussing one of your many shared interests; Star Trek.

“Riker’s actually the reason I started playing trombone,” you said proudly. “The best instrument for the best character.”

“You think Riker’s the best character?” Van repeated, trying to hide their disappointment. “Most girls have a crush on Picard.”

“What? No, I don’t have a crush on Riker,” you insisted, shaking your head. “He’s my favorite character for sure, but I don’t have a crush on him.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, he’s definitely not the character I have a crush on,” you breathed.

“Then who do you have a crush on?” Van asked quietly, unconsciously leaning in. You mirrored them.

“Doctor Crusher,” you answered. “I love how caring she is. And she has such a cute smile… beautiful red hair…”

“You… you like girls?”

You froze. “Um, yeah, I, uh… I do.” You shifted uncomfortably. “You don’t have, like, a problem with that or anything-”

“No, I don’t,” Van said quickly. “I like girls too.”

“You do?” you whispered, leaning in again.

“Yeah, I do.”

And then Van closed the gap. Your lips were chapped, and the smell of weed was almost suffocating, but they never wanted this moment to end. They chased after you clumsily and you cupped their left cheek, deepening the kiss. Then, just when they started thinking the kiss could lead to something more, they caught one of the lyrics in the song.

“I’m so sorry, what is this song about?” Van asked incredulously. You cringed.

“It’s, uh… it’s about a woman who accidentally sleeps with her estranged father.”

“Yeah, okay, that’s what I thought,” they said before bursting into a fit of laughter. You let out a nervous chuckle.

“It’s one of their joke songs,” you explained as you turned off the music. “If I’d known we were going to be doing this I would’ve picked a different album.”

“No, no, it’s hilarious. Now I’m never going to forget our first kiss.”

“First?” You raised an eyebrow. Van just shrugged and smiled at you, their face flushing a beautiful shade of pink. “Wow,” you breathed, and Van saw the desire they’d been feeling reflected in your eyes.

“Yeah, would you, uh… wanna go out with me sometime?” they asked after a moment of comfortable silence.

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that? Y’know, since I’m the one with the car?” you smirked. They grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, I’d love to.”

“Perfect,” Van said before pouncing on you again. You gripped their hips as they leaned over the gear shift, quickly regaining control and kissing them passionately. Van melted at your touch. “Hey, we’re pretty good at this,” they quipped, maneuvering to sit in your lap.

“Hell yeah we are,” you grinned.

By the time you took Van home, it was already getting dark. And over the next few days, the piece of paper with Van’s messily scrawled phone number got more use than your trombone. You agreed that the best kind of first date was dinner and a movie, and you decided to go and see Wes Craven’s new horror movie Scream. Its opening night lined up with your last day of school before winter break, and you both had a major crush on Drew Barrymore, so it was the perfect fit.

When the day came, you were both nervous wrecks in English class. And not because of your final; although you both probably should’ve studied harder for it. But this was it. Before you’d just been talking, and kissing when you got the chance. But a real date. That made it official. You would be girlfriends.

After deliberating for longer than you would like to admit, you pulled on your favorite button-up shirt and your trusty leather jacket. Then you checked your appearance in the mirror one last time and headed to Van’s house, your heart racing the whole way. You arrived a few minutes early and waited anxiously out front. Van had asked you not to go to the door, but you were starting to feel like you were in the wrong place.

“Hey, Y/N!” Van called excitedly, opening the passenger door and pulling you from your thoughts.

“Hey, Van,” you smiled. They were wearing a denim jacket over one of their rugby shirts. It wasn’t terribly different from what they normally wore, but it was Van. You’d never seen anything more beautiful. “You ready to go?”

Van nodded eagerly. “I’ve been looking forward to this all week.”

You leaned over and placed a quick kiss on their lips. “Me too.”

“Then let’s go already,” they laughed. You drove away and they slid Queen’s Greatest Hits album into the tape deck. You both sang along at the top of your lungs until you reached the cheap Italian place by the theater.

As much as you wanted to hold hands as you walked in, you knew you had to pretend like this wasn’t a date. Neither one of you wanted it to get out that you were lesbians. Too much trouble could come from that. But thankfully the server sat you at the corner table, so you were able to enjoy some modicum of privacy. Still, being together in public was a lot more nerve-wracking than stealing kisses in the janitor’s closet between classes.

“What are you going to get?” you asked as you looked over the menu.

“Spaghetti and meatballs. Easily the best type of pasta,” Van smirked.

“My thoughts exactly.”

“Maybe we should share. That way we can do the thing from Lady and the Tramp.”

You laughed, loud and melodic, and Van beamed. “And which one am I?”

“The tramp, obviously. Have you ever seen a more sophisticated lady than myself?” Van said with an exaggerated posh accent. You laughed again.

“If you want me to be a tramp for you, just say so,” you whispered. Van giggled.

“Only if you’re the one paying.”

“I was already planning to,” you smiled.

“You’re too good to me,” they grinned, blushing. You winked.

It was the best meal you’d had in months, and Van would’ve said the same. And the food was good, sure. But it was the company that put this meal above the rest. Being with Van made you happier than you could’ve imagined, and it was only the first date! You were already looking forward to all the memories you knew you would make together. And they would never tell you, but Van was doing the same.

Wes Craven’s Scream was the perfect end to the night. The perfect mix of horror, comedy, mystery, and more movie references than Van makes in a day. Neither one of you was scared of Ghostface, of course, but you held hands anyway. On the way home you forwent the music in favor of discussing the queer undertones of Billy and Stu’s relationship and arguing over who was hotter; Sidney or Gale. And when you dropped Van off you sealed the night with a kiss, a soft, lingering kiss that promised many more to come.

“I’m really glad we did this,” you sighed dreamily as they left the car.

“Yeah, I can’t wait for our next date. Girlfriend.”

You grinned and waved goodbye, already missing them. You were thinking about calling them before they even reached the house. Maybe things are finally starting to look up, you thought as you drove away. Maybe this time we’ll get to be happy.

[redfurrycat]

🏍️☃️🔁💞🔙🤠🐓Time Travel/Loop & Reincarnation Fic Recs🤠🐓🔙💞🔁☃️🏍️

Check the Top Gun Masterlist post for the latest updated version. 💕

Ao3 Authors: Adiduck, Alecjbi, Andthentheybow, Aphroditedany, Boasamishipper, Chase_acow, Earthangel_44, Haridwar, Lacerta, Lxvenderhaze, MadeItUp, Nighttimedawn, Notchka88, OfTheDirewolves, Qin_ling, Quantumoddity, ReformedTsunderePodfics, Secretservicebadger, SunMonTue, VarjoRuusu, Winterbucky, Yeah_w_r_i_t_e, Xihe1874, Youlookgood.

> Space AU {🤠🐓} > Amnesia & Memory Loss

Make A Wrong One Right by boasamishipper {T}

/☃️Time Travel🏍️/

Terrified, Maverick grabs the newspaper off the doorstop and tears the thread off, tearing it open. There’s a story about the nuclear reactor that exploded in Ukraine in April, and another about the death of Ted Lyons. Ronald Reagan is the president of the United States, the Cubs beat the Dodgers last night 9-4, and Aliens is the number one movie in America. The newspaper is the San Diego Union. The date is July 26, 1986. Maverick clamps a hand over his mouth and barely makes it back in the house in time to fall to his knees and vomit into the toilet. - Maverick makes a wish and wakes up thirty years in the past. He reacts accordingly.

time and time again by andthentheybow {M}

/🤠Time Loop🐓/

Rooster wakes up on the third April 22nd in a row covered in phantom explosion burns and with the concrete knowledge that this mission is going to go terribly, horribly wrong. + time and time again [Podfic] by ReformedTsunderePodfics

Whatever It Takes by Aphroditedany {E}

/☃️🏍️Time Travel🤠🐓/

"Are you truly willing to do this, Pete? Are you ready for what awaits you?" He swallows heavily. "Whatever it takes." If you had a chance to go back in time and fix everything, if you could make a world where you can be happy, would you be willing to sacrifice what you already have?

falling for you everytime by nighttimedawn {T}

/🤠Time Loop🐓/

Jake responded with a full body laugh, and, like they had done this a million times before, the two of them gravitated into a quick hug. He could see the astonished stare of Javy behind Jake, could sense that Phoenix was giving the same astonished stare behind him. And why shouldn’t they? For years, they had fought like children on a playground, pushing and shoving and yelling, never letting anyone get a word in otherwise. But now, now they were hugging and laughing like they’d been friends for years and even Bradley didn’t know where the animosity had gone. Or a time loop AU in which Bradley and Jake have spent years and years falling in love, but neither of them can remember.

as lions by qin_ling {T}

/☃️Time Travel🏍️/

Maverick doesn’t regret it when he takes the hit, when the last thing he hears before he ejects is Rooster screaming his name. But then he wakes. Not to a vast, white snowfield behind enemy lines—but to an inverted cockpit of an F-14. And to Goose, alive and well in the seat behind him. — Or; the time-travel fix-it in which TG:M Maverick wakes up at the start of TG (1986).

it was only ever you by haridwar {E}

/🤠Reincarnation🐓/

Different lives, different faces, different names and identities. Centuries of chasing. Those eyes, that soul, still inexplicably the same. It was both a blessing and a curse that Jake was the one forever burdened to remember first. or: soulmates au where they reunite once they've recovered memories from their past lives

Leave the Future Behind You by VarjoRuusu {T}

/☃️Time Travel🏍️/

Maverick went to sleep after a long day, a hard mission that they barely survived, exhausted, bruised, but happy as he could be after loosing Ice less than a week before. He had Bradley back, and things were the best the could be. When he woke up something was very, very wrong. Halfway across the world Slider tumbled out of bed and swore. - Or, Maverick and Slider go back in time to the day Cougar turns in his wings.

tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow by alecjbi {T}

/🤠Reincarnation🐓/

They said the woman in the woods would show herself only in someone’s darkest hour, when they needed her the most. If there was any time for it, Jake thought, it was now.

all our yesterdays by Notchka88 {E}

/🤠Time Loop🐓/

Everything that happens on the carrier is clockwork; there’s no variation that Jake has noticed in anyone’s behavior or actions unless he initiates something. The changes he effects are inconsequential and the end result is always the same: Bradley dies. And dies. And dies. (Jake gets another chance at the mission, and then another, and another. At a certain point they stop feeling like chances and more like foregone conclusions.)

today, again, and tomorrow by Lacerta {T}

/☃️Time Loop🏍️/

Maverick wakes up with an overwhelming sense of deja vu. It’s almost as if he’s lived through the day before… but that, obviously, is a ridiculous idea. * It takes him a couple of days to discover he’s not alone in this time loop.

If I Could Turn Back Time by Earthangel_44 {E}

/🤠Time Loop🐓/

In the wake of Bradley’s death, Jake sells his soul to go back in time and save him. The only catch: they can’t be in love. AKA: The angsty demon timeloop au

Where Past and Future are Gathered by xihe1874 {T}

/☃️🏍️Time Travel🤠🐓/

He feels… calm. He has saved Mav, and that bastard will be able to find a way home by stealing a jet or something like that. They have accomplished the mission successfully, and he may finally see his parents after so many years. Maybe he will meet Ice too, and he will definitely ask him why he and Mav won’t make each other happier. The only thing he may regret is that he will never have the chance to taste that cigarette Hangman mentioned. Rooster closes his eyes and lets the force pull him to the dark. After Rooster's jet gets hit, he opens his eyes to see his dad and Mav standing in front of him, in their twenties and definitely alive. Or, Rooster goes back to 1986, saves his parents, helps two idiots get together, and realizes his feeling for another idiot.

as if it might turn out this time by quantumoddity {M}

/☃️Time Loop🏍️/

Sergeant Tom Kazansky is a battle hardened solider known as the Iceman, he's killed hundreds of mimics across multiple time loops, he's the freaking Angel of Verdun. But he's never come across someone like Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell. Because this time, Maverick's the one in control. He's the one in the loop, he knows whats coming. At least until something takes them both by surprise.

the stars align (just one time) by OfTheDirewolves {M}

/🤠Reincarnation🐓/

In one world a prince fell in love with a lord but the world was cruel and they were robbed of the time they deserved... In another two pilots meet at top gun but it will take them too long to fully understand what they mean to each other. or Jake and Bradley fall in love over multiple lifetimes, will they finally get it right? or will they keep getting in their own way?

love you right this time by winterbucky {T}

/☃️Time Travel🏍️/

Maverick knows he and Iceman missed their chance. Too scared, too hesitant, they're left to pick up the pieces of their love. And then Tom dies, and something in Pete dies to. It's no brainer to sacrifice himself for Bradley, at peace with joining his best friend and the love of his life in the afterlife Only he wakes up somewhere else. Sometime else, actually. Is he alone?  or icemav time travel au with reunions and second chances and mav not being alone

Both Sides Now by adiduck {E}

/☃️Time Travel🏍️/

“How do we know the pre-selected one-seaters will be able to fly the mission?” Cyclone and Warlock look at each other. “They have been selected, as you were, Captain, for their experience in similar missions. Their situation is… unique,” Warlock explains. “They’re black ops?” Maverick asks. “Because otherwise I don’t know that there are any active naval aviators who can fly this.” Besides me, he doesn’t say. Again. “Not anymore,” Cyclone allows. “Are you familiar with Operation Groundhog?” (Or: The Navy has decided to solve its problems with Time Loop technology. Certain parties decide to solve a few other problems with it, too.)

 I love you - It never ends by secretservicebadger {T}

/🤠Reincarnation🐓/

They died there, foreheads pressed together as they held each other, Jacob’s arms circling Bradley’s head like a halo. They had so much left to do with no time to do it.

undo what has been done by lxvenderhaze {_}

/🤠Time Loop🐓/

When Bradley was called back to Top Gun for a special mission, he had no idea that his whole life was about to change. He was about to get a strange and inexplicable chance to heal old wounds, change his future, and find love along the way. or: Bradley got stuck in a time loop during the mission only to realize he wasn't the only one.

Kissin' by the Mistletoe (until we get it right) by MadeItUp, Notchka88 {T}

/🤠Time Loop🐓/

Penny’s Christmas Party is an annual tradition. It's invite only, and the entry requirement is a dish for the potluck, an ornament for the tree, or ten bucks for the tip jar. All Jake has to do is put in an appearance and then he can leave. But leaving the Hard Deck soon proves more challenging than Jake was expecting. If only he could figure out who is the right person to kiss under the mistletoe...

Resting Grinch Face by chase_acow {M}

/🤠Time Loop🐓/

If anyone were to ask Bradley if he felt the holiday spirit, he’d say sure. After all, his bruises had faded to green and his newer scars were finally a dull red. His santa hat cocked jauntily on his head as he played the piano. There was a twink dressed as an elf cuddled up on his left, and on his right an over-sized mug of spiked eggnog. What more did a man need for the holidays?

I love you always by youlookgood {_}

/🤠Reincarnation🐓/

heartwarming, heartbreaking, bitter, sweet. they carry enough love in their hearts to last a lifetime and beyond.

Once Upon a Time in 1996... by SunMonTue {E}

/☃️Time Loop🏍️/

Set in 1996 Maverick wakes up to a great day. Then it all turns to shit. It ends up being one of the best days of his life. Eventually.

Hindsight by yeah_w_r_i_t_e {T}

/☃️Time Travel🏍️/

Pete ran upstairs to grab his cell phone from his nightstand to text—who, he didn’t know. Slider? Who did he know who might have a clue what was going on? Well, there were his first two clues. One: this wasn’t his phone. It was shiny and not cracked, for one, and it had one more camera than he remembered. Two: “Tom,” Pete breathed shakily, his free hand coming up to grip the counter behind him. “It’s June twentieth.” Tom stilled, then huffed a laugh. “No, it’s not,” he said. “It’s the middle of October.” Pete flashed his (new?) phone screen at his husband. “Not according to this.” OR: Pete and Tom take an accidental trip to after the events of Top Gun: Maverick and cry several times.

To wake, perchance to dream by SunMonTue {E}

/🤠Time Travel 🐓/

Jake wakes up 10+ years in the future and thinks he has amnesia. It's the only explanation he can think of. Instead it's a glimpse of what his life could be. Then he wakes up again right before being called back to Top Gun and he's going to try his damnedest to make sure that the future he glimpsed comes true… even if he has to fight Bradshaw every step of the way.

[yandere-fics]

♡ Runa With An Idol Darling ♡

(5,048 words, this tops my record lmao.)

Idols in the city usually had a very short lifespan to their fame. They'd spend a year or two training, and then have at most two years of actually performing before at their first major concert a supernatural in the crowd would lock eyes with them and realize they were their soulmate. Of course there were those that managed to make it past that point and would be afforded a much longer career before retiring from the spotlight as soon as they'd made a decent chunk of money, not wanting to tempt fate any further because every second in the spotlight was a second a supernatural could find them, their plans of retirement usually didn't help though as you often heard they were snatched merely a month later when they were just going to buy groceries.

You'd been an idol from the time you turned 18 to now when you were currently 37, almost 20 years in the business and you were determined to go down in history as an idol who was so well loved that even as they got old, their concerts still sold out. The key was audience interaction, as long as you stayed on top of what was happening in your fandom forums, you could never lose, those fools who retired just didn't understand how important fans were, you couldn't be an idol for even a year if the fans didn't like you and you honestly enjoyed the interactions with the fans. The ones who were the most active on the forums even knew your username, "PurpleButterfly", a bit generic but when you debuted your costume had a purple butterfly embroidered on it so it made sense.

Of course this meant some fans would make their username based around yours but none was more active than one in particular going by "XxPurpleButterfly'sRuruxX", she even visited all your livestreams, an elf which was somewhat uncommon in the city so it made her stick out more to you. She even attended all your livestreams and occasionally you'd seen a photo of her that she'd post asking you if you thought she was pretty enough to ever find her soulmate before quickly deleting the photo out of embarrassment when she realized you weren't the only one on the forum who could see. You were sure she was definitely your number one fan which is why it saddened you that she was never able to attend any of your concerts.

What occurred was really your own fault, she had said for years she was much too shy and socially anxious to ever come to a concert but you just couldn't help but want her there and so on a livestream you'd decided she would be the fan who would be gifted front row tickets and backstage access for free, you'd even promised you would give her free merch while she was there and an hour where she got to ask you questions, really anything for the fans, especially for one of your biggest fans. You really shouldn't have had such an anything for the fans attitude, even if it hadn't been this one day that was going to get you in a lot of danger.

It was only after the concert had ended that the problem came though, you'd gone back to your dressing room to change into something more comfortable to meet your biggest fan in, though something still cute when your manage rushed in, a grim face on. Not good news but you assumed it wouldn't have had anything to do with the girl, she had been so well behaved at the concert, looking up at you as if in a trance, not even able to do the fan chants because of how stunned she was, a girl like that wouldn't cause issues for you.

"Y/N, there's a problem." She ran a hand through her hair and leaned against the wall after making sure your dressing room was locked. You perked up and nodded for her to continue. "The girl you invited to the concert is claiming you're her soulmate. They're running the tests now just to confirm she isn't lying to capture her favorite idol."

Your eye twitched just a little bit, you'd done a kindness for this loner but she had turned around and tried to end your career? You'd let the forums know about how severely disappointed this incident had made you later, for now you needed to deal with the pest. You took a deep breath in and out, you couldn't get mean, sure this was upsetting but you weren't supposed to be angry at the fans, you were supposed to care for them, even the most misguided ones.

"Well the tests will show up negative, I'm sure of it, beyond that she's just an elf, elves aren't the most vicious when it comes to their mates, even if she is mine we'll sweep this incident under the rug and the show will go on." You wiped off your performance make up and got to work on a more natural look. Performance makeup was meant to be seen from the crowds meaning it looked tacky and gaudy if they saw you up close so since you would likely have to go out there, you needed a much lighter look.

"It's not that simple. Look the management company has decided they want this next album to be your last, you've had a good run, it'll be your twenty year anniversary album, it's time to make room for new-" You swiveled around in your chair glaring at her.

"How fucking dare you, if you won't represent me anymore, I'll find someone who WILL. I'm not old yet, I will not be pushed out. Now if you excuse me, I have to go deal with this, but we will discuss your insubordination once this is resolved." Great, you'd been mean and angry twice today and both times were caused by this elf. You were really starting to dislike her.

She was in the backstage area with two guards blocking her from approaching you while she glared at them, you'd thought she was just a shy little elf but now you could really she she was a two faced bitch trying to end your career while acting as a fan, it felt easier to be mean to her now that you finally knew she wasn't a fan at all.

"My love! You're finally here! They kept telling me I had to wait to see you but-" "Stop talking. Why are you doing this? Are you trying to kill my career?" She let out a whimper as the guards finally released their barricade. She thought about running into your arms but you can see she was on the verge of tears eyes darting rapidly for a way out of this, so she wouldn't have to see you glaring at her anymore.

"No- I w-wouldn't- I wouldn't d-do that to you, love! I wouldn't do it! I just wouldn't!" She screamed her hands on her ears and the guards quickly restrained her before she could start throwing things. If you didn't like her before you definitely didn't now, next time you wouldn't be so friendly to such a weird person, you wouldn't find their behavior cute.

"Escort her out of here, I don't want to have to see her again. I will contact you IF the test tells me you're telling the truth but I don't want to see you until then." You were honestly very lucky, most got taken same day by their mates but since you were such a prominent figure you were allowed a test since some might want to lie and just claim you as their mate despite you not actually being theirs. It was the only reason you weren't going off with that lunatic right now. The problem would be gone soon though, the test would come back saying that she was lying, your career would go on. Except that didn't happen.

The test came back the next morning, she was telling the truth. Your manager had been there first thing in the morning with a coffee and cake in their hands.

"Put that garbage away, I'm too disgusted to eat right now." You would also prefer your manager not being in your apartment right now but you really hadn't been getting what you wanted as of late. You had to assume she wasn't just here to gloat about how your career was probably finished with this news, but if she didn't get to the point soon you were going to scream.

"This isn't for you, Miss Y/N, this is for the elf girl." You shot her a dirty look, this really wasn't the time for jokes, at least you hoped that was a joke, a really bad joke, there was no way you could bring yourself to see that stupid fucking elf today. "Just picture it, the elf who likely had a rough night, having to sleep without her mate by her side, but in reality her mate had just been planning a day long date for them all along and they bring a cake to her door as an apology."

"Ha ha, very funny, now quitting joking, be serious, there's no way I'm fucking doing that." Your agent sighed and set the box down on the counter, taking a long sip of her coffee.

"I was trying to be light hearted, look you don't have a choice, the agency is only willing to give you one more album if you do this, it'll be your album dedicated to your soulmate, they want a huge spectacle showing how in love with your mate you are, you won't be doing a concert for this one either but it'll be a longer album. It'll sell like crazy. Or you can choose not to do this, likely be dragged to your mate anyways and not be allowed the final album. We already found her apartment, what's it going to be?"

"I'll get my coat." You were getting that album no matter what, you were sure after the fans heard it was your final they'd beg for more and the agency would have no chose but to extend your career, this elf was not going to be the end of you, you were determined to perform until you were on your fucking death bed.

"Good choice. Look she's a bit of a freak, all sorts of nasty rumors, some of her neighbors think she's a serial killer but you're her mate so she's not harmful to you, we wouldn't do this if we assumed she would harm you, too much." You pretend to ignore that last part she said. Great you were tied to a fucking serial killer who might hurt you and your management was making you go along with it. You should have picked a better agency.

Her apartment wasn't that bad if you were being honest, sure it wasn't in an area you went often but she could still afford a decent place, it was the inside of her apartment that was a mess however, you saw inside as soon as she opened the door, only for a brief second though as she immediately came outside and slammed the door shut not wanting you to see it. It was clear she had destroyed nearly everything in it though except for a shelf where all of her merch for you laid.

"M-my love? Y-you came for me! Oh you came for me!" She tossed herself into your arms and you bit back a scowl in front of the camera's. Your most dedicated fans would know that you clearly were uncomfortable and even someone who had only pretended to be your fan could see you were not happy to be here. "G-get those camera's out of h-her face, you're making her uncomfortable!"

You weren't sure how she came to that conclusion but it was still good to get the fucking camera crew out of here, at least then you wouldn't have to control your expressions so much, still you knew your manager still had a wire on recording all of the noise so you still had to watch your words.

"L-look, I made them go away, it's o-okay my love." She frowns though, wondering why you were here now and why'd you been so mean to her the night before, was it those people's fault, if that was the cause she'd kill every single person who was backstage last night. You really didn't like the look on her face but you just had to push past it and deal with today.

"I was busy all night preparing a date for us today. Would you like to go get ready for it?" She was a complete ugly mess, her hair was everywhere, you really hoped you wouldn't be forced to kiss her today for a picture, you made a note to scrub yourself and throw these clothes out late now that she had touched you. Hopefully while she was in there she'd change into something less... repulsive than her over worn shirt from your Magical Kitty album tour, it was one of your least favorite outfits you'd been forced to wear so of course it was the creeps favorite. Much to your horror though she just stayed put and made no move to change. Great you were going to have to walk around looking well dressed up meanwhile your forced date could being bother to try to look presentable.

"N-no I'd just like to e-enjoy our d-date as much as possible. D-does your manager h-have to be h-here?" No your manager didn't technically have to be here, you could have been the one fitted with the mic but you forced your manager to do it to ensure she wouldn't leave you all alone with this freak. So yes she did have to be here, it was for your own safety and so you didn't say something mean to this person who could potentially cause you harm.

"She helped me plan everything, she has our passes for everything, don't worry you won't even notice she's there. Also silly me, I just realized, I don't know your name!" You smiled at her and took her hand, you had to keep her calm on this date or everything might blow up in your face, you needed her so you could have your album, you were going to use her to keep your career strong and steady, who knows, maybe you could confide in one of your true fans about how she's hurting your career and then they could kill her for you. Morbid thought but she really had it coming for fucking things up, something about her made you mean, you didn't like thinking such cruel thoughts.

"O-oh m-my name is R-runa... t-that makes sense. W-well where to first?" You had to look away from her so she would see your scowl, god you hated how it felt to have this leech clinging to your arm. Composure, you must regain your composure. You couldn't be mean to her, she was dangerous.

"Well you've never been to any concerts apart from the one last night so our Y/N here thought it would be a fantastic idea to put on the costumes from those tours and sing a couple songs for you! She felt so bad you'd been excluded." You scowled when she said that, Runa was scowling for completely different reasons however, you could only assume she was offended you'd been called "our", guess elves did still have a possessive streak in them, you kind of liked her slightly more that way but you still couldn't stand her.

"R-really? T-thank you m-my love!" It was revolting to think about being back in those outfits, let alone in front of this freak. You remembered how tiny the outfits had been back in the day, it had been hard to feel comfortable prancing around on stage with your ass out back then knowing there might be creeps in your audience even if the majority were your adoring fans but it made you feel sick to think about how Runa was going to get to see the tiny skirts up close and she might even try to touch, absolutely nasty.

"Of course, I wish all my fans could see every concert, it's sad when they can't." You lumped her in with the others, you really just wanted to let her know this wasn't special, you often put on the often of whatever concert you'd done the most recently just so sick and elderly fans would get to see it, you just didn't usually but on the older ones, still she wasn't special in the slightest, she should not feel special just because of this. You tried not to grumble too much as your manager led you to a studio they had cleared out in the building next door filled with all the costumes you had worn, including the one that was clearly Runa's favorite because she almost jumped for joy when she saw the cat ears from your Magical Kitty tours nearly 15 years ago.

"Alright I'll go get dressed." Runa whined as you yanked your arm away from her and walked towards the dressing room. You just had to think of this as a magazine shoot with a gross photographer, that's all this was, you wouldn't have to deal with her very often, you'd only deal with her enough for that album and then everything would be all good. "Hand me the first outfit."

"Well, you're our guest of honor, which outfit would you like to pick first?" Your manager asked Runa and you let out a big sigh, it was clear what the freak was going to chose why did she even bother asking, it was literally the stupid ass t-shirt she was wearing, you weren't even sure where the freak had found that shirt in the first place, that tour was 15 years ago and you were sure Runa was younger than you, sure it took forest elves a long time to grow but city elves aged quicker which was part of why they looked sickly when forest elves looked beautiful because they'd had enough to grow. She must have been a fan from a very young age or had found it used, the little freak.

"M-magical Kitty!" She seemed excited though something in her tone told you she was a bit fed up with your manager. At least you had that in common, the hatred of your manager, you could bond over that if you weren't planning on ditching her or having her killed pretty sure after this.

"I don't want to wear that." "Y/N, we talked about this, put it on." "Runa will you please pick something else?" You heard her huff outside the dressing room and moments later say the outfit being passed over the stall again.

"I-it's always been my dream to s-see that outfit in p-person. W-would you wear it f-for me?" It looked like you weren't getting out of it so you let out a huff and just put it on, excluding the stupid fake eat headband, there was just no way you could put it on.

"Miss Y/N, you're forgetting something." As soon as you opened the dressing room door the manager snatched it from you and popped it on your head which got her a brief glare from both you and Runa before Runa turned her head towards you in delight.

"W-wow, c-can you say the catch phrase from that t-tour please?" You sighed and glared at your manager. It was all her fault that this was happening. You honestly should have made sure the original costume got burned to a fucking crisp, this was nasty.

"I'm your little kitten idol, nya." You couldn't even remember what you'd been thinking at the time when you seriously thought a phrase like that was a genius thing to say, you wanted to strangle your past self, it was her fault you were here doing this. Runa could sense you weren't pleased about this either though cause she started to frown.

"Now now, Y/N, don't be like that, say it with more enthusiasm for the girl." Your smug bastard manager probably thought she was going to make a crap load of money from this recording. You hated her, trying to push you out of the industry but since making bank off of being your manager, you'd fire her after this and sell the clips to the highest bidder just to spite her.

"D-don't fucking talk to my love. G-get out of here!" She pulled a knife out from her pants pocket, your manager immediately scrambling back and looking to you to mediate the situation. "Get out! D-don't look at her!!"

"Fucking shit." You sat down on the couch trying to take a breather and just think about what had just occurred, well now you didn't have to fire your manager and she wouldn't be able to market the tapes to anyone because even if the end was edited out the clips hadn't gotten enough to be marketable. Hopefully failing to do this would tank her career at the company too.

"S-she's gone now m-my love, you c-can say it-" "What the fuck are you talking about?" She was still holding that stupid knife for some reason but you were pretty sure she had no backbone for you now at this point since she'd only threatened the manager over your lack of enthusiasm, and even if she did stab you, you honestly wouldn't care at this point, your career was unsalvageable. They weren't going to give you more years.

"You can say the thing, I k-know you were u-uncomfortable to say it in front of h-her- w-why are you laughing?" You hadn't even realized you'd begun to laugh, her saying that was just the funniest thing you'd heard ever, she thought the manager was the problem? You couldn't help but cackle at that thought, she was so fucking unaware that she was the problem the entire time. It was just so incredible someone could be so fucking dense.

"You fucking idiot, do you think I like you or something?" She whined as you stood up and walked towards her, the knife falling out of her hands and you picked it up off the floor. So cute that she brought this, was the loser planning on using it on you later, that was really too bad cause you were going to use it to punish the little freak for ruining everything.

"We're m-mates so you m-must l-love m-me right?" You laughed again, bringing the knife up to her cheek and lightly pressing. She did bleed really pretty for such a fucking freak. Perhaps how much you hated her was starting to make you a bit of a sadist. You'd ignore that revelation for the time being, perhaps you could revisit that later with someone you actually liked.

"Love you? How could I when you've destroyed everything I've ever worked for?" She took another step backwards as you continued to approach, tears streaming down her face as she gave a sniffle every few seconds.

"I-I don't u-understand..." Her back hit the wall and the knife cut deeper into her cheek. Freak was still blushing though, you bet the freak was probably wet too. Disgusting. You didn't think it was possible to hate someone this much and yet be sexually attracted to them at the same time.

"I spent years of my life devoting everything I had to being an idol and then you show up one day and suddenly the company tells me I can't perform anymore, I only get one last album, you ruined my 20th anniversary of being an idol so of course I despise you, every single part of you revolts me. I just wanted to be able to keep singing and dancing, you ruined it."

"Y-you could still perform f-for me! I-I'd l-love to w-watch you perform every s-single day o-or night! I-I'll even get costumes if you w-want." You laughed as you suddenly got an idea, if the freak thought it was so easy to just perform then you'd make her do it.

"No, I'm done performing, now you're going to perform for me." You walked away from her, walking to the costume box and finding a pair of dog ears, collar, and a mini skirt in there, the dog ears and cute pink collar had been a forgotten idea for a costume and the mini skirt had been so short even you hadn't been willing to put it on even at the beginning of your career. "Put these on." You turned back to her as she whined and tried to wipe the blood off her face, the wound starting to scab a bit.

"W-what?" "Don't 'w-what' me, put these on now bitch. Only these." She blushed and walked to the dressing room before you stopped her. "No, put these on where I can fucking see. Bitches don't get privacy."

"Y-yes my love." God you were right, the freak was wet, you'd cut her cheek open and she was wet about it, you had humiliated her and she was turned on, she was so nasty, but maybe you were too cause seeing this made you happier, you'd been tense all day but now you were getting some revenge on her for coming through and wrecking everything in your life. And you had to admit she looked... cute almost in just the leather mini skirt, a dog collar and ears. She'd look cuter panting on all fours like a proper bitch though. Well you had the power here, you could just make her.

"Down on your knees, like a proper bitch. If you do a good job maybe you'll get to hear me say it later." You sat down on the couch, this had to be properly savored. It looked like it hurt her to get down like that, she was clearly just a bit fragile but she was doing her best. "Present for me, I want to see how wet the bitch is."

God she was so gross, she turned around to show you her soaked hole but that was when you heard it, she just... she just let out a fucking bark. The freak just fucking barked for you. Disgusting, you wanted to hear more. You wondered what other things you could say to get her to bark for you, but also you wanted to see her slobber on you like a fucking dog, you'd give her what she clearly wanted but she had to act like a dog to get it.

"Runa." She turned around instantly, her tongue sticking out as she tried to maintain the dog act as best she could. "Do you want me?"

"Y-yes my l-love more than anything-" "Bitches don't speak, they bark." You threw a nearby vase at her causing her to whimper and flinch. It was her own fault, stupid bitch should have listened to you. She nodded and started to bark loudly, slowly approaching you as you removed your underwear and lifted the skirt on your outfit as well.

"Go ahead, you stupid mutt, maybe if you make the kitty happy enough, she'll go nya for you just like you wanted." She pounced onto the couch immediately positioned herself so her thigh was rubbing against you while she was rubbing herself all over your leg. God this was so fucking gross, you loved it so much.

"I-I love you." She let out a moan as you bit down on her ear hard, you'd heard elf ears were sensitive and so if they got hurt then they'd only hurt more, you guess the freak turned out to be a masochist. You were going to enjoy hurting her so much. You needed this, if you hurt this stupid freak then you wouldn't even be sad about your career anymore, and luckily the stupid bitch didn't seem to mind it with her stupid ideas of you being in love.

"Bitches don't speak. If you need to make noise, bark, like the stupid mutt that you are." She whimpered, her grinding on your leg getting faster, she was obviously getting close and you just let it happen, it would give you another thing to punish her for. She let out a loud howl as she came all over your leg panting and licking your face.

"Stupid bitch, I didn't get to cum, you're so selfish. Lay down, I'm getting what I want." She whined as you repositioned yourself into the 69 position but instead of beginning to eat her out, you grabbed the knife from the side of the couch and started to slash her thighs and really any part of her you could reach as you forced her to eat you out. "Wow you're really bad at this. I might fall asleep."

She let out a soft cry trying to go faster with her tongue on your clit, you were lying, truthfully you'd never been hornier than you were now but she didn't need to know that and even if you did cum she wouldn't know because you could hold back any sounds, it paid in be well versed in acting and keeping a straight face at all times.

"I know, maybe if you bark then I might actually feel something." You were joking but you didn't expect to actually feel and hear her bark against your cunt. Fucking idiot thought you were serious. Wow maybe she really was a stupid mutt, you thought elves were supposed to be smart. You sat up a bit, no longer cutting her legs. You may as well throw the dumb dog a bone and let her know you'd actually cum instead of just hiding it from her and acting like she wasn't affecting you in the slightest. "You're such a stupid doggy nya~ I can't believe I'm cumming on such a stupid mutt's tongue."

You could afford to be nice to your fan for a second, anything for the fans after all, especially after you'd just marked this one as yours.

[usermischief]

♞Pairing: Steo

♞Characters: Stiles Stilinski, Theo Raeken

♞Tags: wedding, getting back together, future fic

♞Words: 2047

Sitting on the steps at the front of the church, arms loosely crossed over his thighs and phone in his hand, Theo is the very definition of bored. Something you very much should not be on the day you tie the knot with the person you claim to be your soulmate. Not that those exact words have ever left Theo’s mouth. Those have only ever rolled over Tracy’s tongue. She’s always believed that this day would come, even during the time Theo dated Stiles. It’s hard to blame her. Theo is like a drug. Once hooked, it’s impossible to get clean.

That Stiles has managed to stay away from five years seems like a miracle. Yet, he’s here on the off-chance that Theo still feels the way for him he’s used to do – even though Stiles was the one who walked away. They were passionate, and Stiles still can’t begin to put into words how he feels about Theo, but they were explosive, more so once their respective careers took off. Theo Raeken, one of the best receivers seen in generations, and Stiles Stilinski, an up-and-coming actor people throw blank checks at, so he’d be in their movies or TV shows.

They were volatile, but they made sense.

They never made their relationship a secret, but they were private – too private for the media, who decided to spin their own stories. Stiles too the brunt of that. A new rumored romance at least once a month. Interview questions from journalist. Stiles reaffirming that he’s still dating Theo but refusing to give any further comments. A lot of people online kept coming to his defense, giving the media the engagement it so desperately craved, and the cycle went on and on.

Even when Stiles stopped commenting at all as his relationship crumbled behind the scenes, nothing changed. Theo’s possessive streak has been an issue from the beginning. It was manageable. Easy to handle. The constant onslaught of rumors, however, caused it to fly off the handle. After multiple near misses, Stiles decided to leave before they both explode and so or say something they cannot come back from.

The world learned of their break-up because Tracy posted pictures of herself and Theo everywhere.

Stiles, in return, fucked more people than he can count. He became who the media told him he is. Funny, really, that out of the two of them Stiles turned into a fuckboy.

And now he’s hiding in the last row of a church Theo never wanted to get married in. He knew about the wedding long before Josh and Corey popped up on his doorstep. Tracy announced it the very day of their engagement. Of Corey and Josh hadn’t continuously insisted, Stiles wouldn’t be doing this. He wouldn’t be here, putting his heart – and pride – on the line in front of too many strangers and at least twenty invited paparazzi, waiting outside the church, and, in turn, the whole fucking world. If Theo’s closest friends are right, all Stiles has to do is get up, be seen, and Theo would drop everything to take him back no questions asked. But Stiles knows he can only ask this of Theo if he’s sure they work out, if he wants to stay with him, knowing and accepting every part of Theo.

Only then can he allow Theo to uproot his life.

The longer Stiles waits, the worse it will get for Tracy too. Not that she would’ve cared. She tried to get with Theo every chance she got. Still, Stiles wonders what would feel worse, waiting until the officiant asks him to speak – and what if he freezes? – or ripping the band aid off and stop the ceremony from even starting.

Shifting on the pew, Stiles lets out a breath and allows himself to look away from Theo at the front of the church and glances at Josh and Corey, looking around as if waiting for something – someone. He had ample time to call Theo before today, to stop all of this from even happening.

He didn’t.

Is that answer enough?

His heart aches.

Stiles can’t let Theo do this. He can’t bring himself to miss what might be his very last chance.

Stiles takes another deep breath, taking in the guests in their expensive dresses and suits. He blocks out their chatter, the laughter, the good mood he’s about to drop a bomb on. All he has to do is get up and out of the dark corner he’s been hiding in, to step into the aisle. The moment he does, people will notice. Theo will see him. It feels like a small miracle nobody has until now. Stiles half expected Tracy had handed out flyers with his face on them to make sure he won’t ruin anything.

However, that’s exactly what he’s about to do.

Stiles cannot wait a second longer. He doesn’t know when the ceremony is about to start. He takes a steadying breath and slips out of the pew.

Theo people closest to him glance up. Although Stiles keeps his face angled away from them, he can tell the moment they’ve recognized him. There’s a shift in the air. Their quiet conversation turns into urgent whispers. It’s not hard to imagine how they’re trying to tell people in front of them. A doomed game of telephone that won’t reach Tracy in time. If someone tries to stop him, Theo will notice.

Stiles has made a decision.

For the first time in five years, he can finally breathe again.

Let’s see how long that lasts. His heartbeat picks up the closer he gets to the aisle. Every second, every step brings him closer to the moment Theo will spot him. The whispers seem to get louder around him, echoing in the church as the conversations die around him. Do they know who he is to Theo? Are thy aware of their history? Their feelings? Can they guess why Stiles is here? If they do, they-

Who cares?

Stiles isn’t here because of them. He’s here for Theo. He glances in his direction, watches as Theo scrolls on his phone, running a hand through his hair. It’s longer now, the way he wears it during off-season. It suits him. To be honest, Stiles likes it best on him, even more so when he’s sporting a designer stubble. Sadly, Tracy made sure that today will be stubble free.

His fingers tremble, and he curls his hands into fists then pushes them into his pants, unsure what to do with them. He can hardly wave at Theo. Should he wave at Theo?

No.

The inside of the church tips. On the left side, the conversations have grown silent. The right side has yet to realize something’s amiss.

Swallowing, Stiles glances back to the front at the same time Josh elbows Corey and points at him. The other groomsmen turn to look as well. Tara, who has been standing a little of to the side, widens her eyes. She smiles, contrasting the look of horror on the bridesmaids’ faces. One of them, presumably the maid of honor, breaks away from the group, her light blue dress fluttering after her. Every click of her heels is a gunshot going off inside.

The sound halts more conversations and catches Theo’s attention. Finally, he looks up from his phone. “What,” he asks, his tone cold and laces with annoyance as he studies the other bridesmaids, “is the issue now?”

None of the girls offer a reply.

Josh bounces over and taps Theo’s shoulder, whispering something in his ear.

Stiles steps into the aisle. He cannot bring himself to look away from Theo for even a second. So, he sees it all – the way Theo’s lips part, his eyes widening as they search for him in the mass of people, how they light up with a smile when he finally finds him, standing out like a sore thumb in his white dress shirt and black slacks. To tie. No jacket. But sneakers. Casual. Low key. The way they imagined their weddings to be on the few occasions they’ve talked about it.  

The phone slips from Theo’s fingers. The crack of it hitting the ground is followed by deafening silence. Nobody utters a single word as Theo is moving. Towards him.

“Theodore!” Mrs. Raeken’s voice cuts into the silence. Her eyes narrowed. The dark green dress probably the most expensive in the whole church.

Stiles didn’t miss her, and he’s sure, that feeling is reciprocated.

Theo doesn’t stop. Instead, he fidgets with his hand halfway down the aisle. He doesn’t run, and Stiles never expected him to. Just as Theo most likely didn’t expect Stiles to meet him halfway or jump into his arms. That’s not who they are.

Stiles’ heart hammers in his chest as he watches Theo approach, as he sees nobody else moving. It’s like the world around them has frozen, like it stopped turning for everyone but them.

And then Theo drops this engagement ring causing the church to erupt.

But Theo simply grabs Stiles’ waist and presses him against the wall, startling a laugh of out Stiles – one Theo steals from his lips as he crashes their mouths together. Their bodies fit together like they used to, like nothing has changed, and Stiles’ heart slows as its missing piece has returned. There is no question about this, about them. The world narrows around them until they’re the only people to exist. Theo kisses him like a starving person, lips and tongue and teeth, and Stiles pulls him closer by the collar of his jacket.

He's returned home after years and years of self-imposed exile.

“Get a room,” Tara mutters. Stiles can’t tell if it’s her voice or the hurried clicking of heels that pulled them apart.

“Let’s go, boys!” Josh drums his hands on Theo’s shoulders before following Corey and Tara out, hollering, “let’s go. Let’s go!”

Chuckling, Theo looks up at Stiles. His features soften for a moment, and he cups Stiles’ cheeks. “You ready?”

Stiles hums. “Waiting on you.” Truth is, he’s not ready to face the real world. He knows what happens once they leave. The questions. The pictures. The media shitstorm that Lydia will hate him for. But for Theo, he’s quite willing to risk it all. So, he intertwines their fingers and squeezes his hand.   

Theo pulls him along, leaving the church without sparing a single glance back.

Stiles does, however, and he looks past everyone else, finding Tracy’s eyes at once. She’s not crying, not screaming, not furiously making her way towards them. Her eyes narrow slightly as she raises her chin. She doesn’t seem surprised, just determined to keep her composure in check.

Someone calls Theo’s name, but he’s already pushing the doors open. He squeezes his hand once more and forces Stiles’ attention back to the reality in front of him – a shitton of cameras flashing, pointed at them, and a barraged of questions hurled in their general direction. Between them and the paparazzi, a black SUV with Corey hanging out of on of the windows.

“Come on!”

They hurry down the stars. The backdoor flies open and Corey scoots to the other side of the backseat.

Theo ushers Stiles in first then slams the door shut once he sits down himself, hand still holding on to Stiles’. “Step on it.”

Tara gives him a thumbs up.

A few moments later, they’re in the street, heading towards a destination Stiles doesn’t care much about as long as he reaches it with Theo by his side, who turns to look at him, cocked eyebrow and smirk firmly on his lips. “What took you so long?”

Stiles huffs out a breath. “Don’t even try to pin this on me, Raeken.”

“I swear,” Tara says before her brother has the chance to say anything, “if you start arguing, I will turn this car around.”

Theo barks out a laugh.

Chuckling softly, Stiles sins deeper into the middle seat and leans his head against Theo’s shoulder. He glances at Tara, watching her brother in the rearview mirror, eyes bright, slightly crinkled as her smile widens. Stiles squeezes Theo’s hand again, promising himself to hold onto him for the rest of their lives.

[mika080]

GaaSaku AO3 2023 Yearly Wrap Up

List of Fanfiction COMPLETED in 2023, on Archive of Our Own.

[I'm trying something here. Tell me if you like.💞]

Prank War by GrimmoftheQueen Gaara walks into Naruto's apartment to find Sakura planning to shove cheese and bologna under Naruto's sheets and now he's got a front row seat to the pranks the two of them play on each other. He starts helping Sakura prank Naruto and ends up hanging out with Sakura more than he thought he would

Broom Closet Diplomacy by AviumR The first time Haruno Sakura manhandled the Fifth Kazekage into the nearest broom closet, she almost caused an international incident. Or: How Sakura chipped away at the Kazekage’s self-control, one broom closet at a time.

A small Help by Carnagebrattish Sakura e Gaara tomando banho juntos numa banheira e tendo momentos doces sozinhos após ajudar Sakura. [Not English]

Secret Love Song: The Sequel by Hina5enpai Idol AU (Direct sequel/picks up right where the first book left off) Endgame: SasuHina GaaSaku NejiTen SaiIno I just want to issue a warning: This story is significantly darker than the first book. It may seem like it won't for the first half, but it WILL have a happy SasuHina/GaaSaku ending. Thanks for reading! After fainting onstage during the last concert of their first tour, Hinata feels too guilty to face her bandmates. Unfortunately, something awful happens before she can speak to them again. Left with no choice, Hinata agrees to give up everything: Sasuke Uchiha, her friends, and even her career. Despite being asked not to interfere, Sasuke refuses to sit by and watch her give up. Even if she ends up hating him, he vows to fix things. Rated M for a reason!

Morning After by FallenInDreams After a night of debauchery, he fell asleep with her in his arms, slept tangled with her in the sheets, and woke with a stupid grin on his face. Gaara was not a morning person, but this, he could get used to. Written for GaaSaku-Fanfests Month 2023 on tumblr. Prompt: Day 22 | Morning After

Demon of Desire by EmmaLouiseLovesFanfiction She just wanted to have her deepest desires fulfilled. Can't blame a girl for trying, right? Even if she didn't think it would happen. Even if she didn't believe in such things. They still seemed to believe in her. He was a figment of her imagination. Until he became real. And his desire for her was only matched by hers.

the living cage by Binxxx Konoha falls to Suna during the Chunin exam invasion, and in the aftermath, Sakura discovers who her soulmate is. Now a prisoner, Sakura laments the day the universe gifted her the idyllic nightmare she calls her soul mate, who is more a labyrinth and beast than he is a man. But he is hers, all the same. The universe gave him to her for a reason…right? AU of "Words that Tie, Ties that Bind", or a "What if Gaara had successfully kidnapped Sakura after destroying Konoha during the Chunin exams?" ↳ Written for GaaSaku FanFest 2023: Day 21: soulmate/soul bond, “what will this cost me?” Day 25: sex pollen, scent/senses, “you smell so good”. Day 26: ptsd/mental illness, bad guy wins, “save me”.

Helping Each Other by QueenHimari Gaara and Sakura have phone sex to help them endure until they can see each other again. Written for GaaSaku Month 2023, Day 8: Long-Distance Relationship.

The "Q" Word Curse by NightingaleFlow Never say the "Q" word within the walls of the hospital. You will regret it.

No More Goodbyes by RiverOfTheSand She watched them saying goodbye for the umpteenth time, wondering how dense Gaara had to be to not notice Sakura's feelings for him. The way Tsunade saw it, she had two choices: get drunk on sakē for the rest of the day, or force Sakura into confessing her undying love to the Kazekage... decisions, decisions. *post-war*

A One Month Bet by Olly_BaaBaaChan A slow-burn, AU Shippuden-era romance. Sakura is sent to Suna to train the medical team, but the Kazekage is skeptical. They make a bet to see if Sakura can single handedly improve the entire unit, but the medic team's skills are not the only thing that blossom during her stay in Suna. Rated M for a variety of reasons. Come for the heavy petting, stay for the drama of a decently crafted plotline. GaaxSaku

Consequence by RiverOfTheSand AU GaaSaku. After three years they were finally over. She was finally free to find someone who deserved her. She just wasn't quite ready for the consequence of that decision. Rated M just in case.

Reason to Breathe by RiverOfTheSand AU GaaSaku. The train stopped suddenly and she fell into his arms. Her panic had disappeared, only to be replaced by a far more pleasant sensation; and she was falling all over again.

Sandbox by mika080 A haiku of undeserving love. . Sand swirls and flowers bloom. Friendship enduring through the sands of time. Kind, serene, acceptance of love.

Dreams of Sand by mika080 Warm fingers touched him. He could still hear her through the screaming.

Phantom of the Opera by mika080 A Phantom of the Opera inspired GaaSaku retelling.

Secret Love Song by Hina5enpai SasuHina/GaaSaku IdolAU COMPLETE WITH SEQUEL IN THE WORKS! Warnings include but are not limited to: Language, Underage-Consumption, Smut, Violence, Abuse Hinata gets the chance of a lifetime with a music contract. Placed in a 4-person idol group, she's on the road to living her dreams. She foresaw an adjustment to her lifestyle. What she didn't expect was to fall head-over-heels for her bandmate: Sasuke Uchiha. ENDGAME SasuHina GaaSaku (short-term pairings throughout) MAJOR Mature Themes/Complete with a sequel in the works!

back on the run (back to the blue) by SafelyCapricious Sakura is on a diplomatic mission to Suna when the coup happens. 

[cailynwrites]

Harry Potter Rec Fest Day 19 - Hottest Smut

For a third day in a row, these are stories that stood out because they made me feel things in a less than ideal place, like on a cross-country train. Thanks, @hprecfest for calling me out. 😳

Sugar and Spice by @inlovewithforever Pairing: Draco x Hermione x Theo Word count: 156,052 Rating: E

I devoured this fic last summer during one of the canicules (heat waves) in France when it was too hot too move. I'm not sure whether the heat or this fic made me sweat more; it was a close competition. There's also so much sweetness and the relationship develops in such a lovely way. I couldn't get enough of it.

Fawning Over You by @toxik-angel Pairing: Draco x Harry Word count: 39,283 Rating: E

Holy moly, this is the hottest fic I've read in quite a while. It was part of this years @hd-fan-fair Career Fair, where Harry is a politician and Trans!Draco is a uni student who makes porn online on the side. The writing is incredible and so hot, especially considering there's no actual sex until the very end. It's very accurately tagged Voice Kink, so I hope the author will let me podfic it soon. (No pressure, @toxik-angel, but I doubt that Harry would be the only one who gets off on Draco's voice.)

If this description hasn't made you want to read it yet, let me add that the author gives the alternate title as "Whore-ton Hears a Harry". 😂

************************************************************************

And finally, two little self-recs ...

Stars and Scars by @aneiria-writes - a Podfic Pairing: Draco x Hermione x Harry Word count: 30,950 Rating: E

The star of the show here is the tension build up. @aneiria-writes writes great smut in a variety of pairings and poly ships, but in this soulmate fic, I think it's the build-up that makes it so hot. I don't want to spoil the fun, so I'll leave you to check it out for yourself.

Mind and Body by sarena - a Podfic Pairing: Draco x Hermione Word count: 20,999 Rating: E

As I reach the end of this list, I realize that we're all just sort of outing our own kinks. 🤷🏽‍♀️ This one is it for me - the tag Sapiosexuality doesn't have enough works in it to satiate me, but this fic is a perfect example. The author says "I never thought anyone would brave so much explicit smut" with regard to this podfic, but I can tell you that I didn't need any courage at all. Everything about it, even the initial nervous meeting-in-a-bar and stumbling over post-war feelings and guilt, is so well done. I love a Hermione who knows what she wants and takes it.

[bailaconox]

Seeing OMEGA X in JERSEY CITY and CHICAGO - Nov. 23 to Nov. 27, 2023

I... I don't even know where to begin. Being able to post this is unbelievable. I met OMEGA X... twice? I saw them in concert this weekend... twice! I was the happiest I have ever been in my whole entire life during those shows. I couldn't stop smiling. My face genuinely hurt from laughing so hard in Chicago. It felt like home.

FOR X and OMEGA X are my home.

1. My snapshots and signed album from VVIP Jersey City. Rip to me in Sebin's snapshot.. also kinda rip to me in Hyuk's too... the rest I think I look cute in!!! ALSO I KNOW HANGYEOM'S POLA HAS A DEFECT BUT I DIDNT NOTICE IT TILL LATER AND IM JUST THANKING EVERY GOD IN THE SKY THAT ITS ON MY FACE AND HIS LOOKS BEAUTIFUL AND PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2. and 3. My only two snapshots in Chicago 🥲 I LOOK SUPER CUTE IN THESE THOUGH AND SO DO THE BOYS!!!!! Rip to my last words to Kevin though.. "I'm sorry" ??????

4. MY CANADIAN FOR X FLAG THAT I FOUND THREE (3!!!!!!) OTHER PEOPLE TO SIGN 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 Besties I love you all so much and I'm happy the boys saw the flag 🙏💖🇨🇦

5. Aha.. anyone remember me joking about getting Hangyeom's handwriting tattooed on me..? Well... I did zero vetting of this place and didnt read a single review and just picked it bc it was closest to the boba shop BUUUUUUUUT Sido Tattoo ilysm for doing this last minute 🤧🙏 Absolutely perfect experience and flawless job, the artist was so nice and I got to watch One Piece and talk about OX so 1000000% recommend. Loved it.

6. Is it even an OMEGA X concert if you don't walk home with an arm full of bracelets?

7. Look between Jaehan and Yechan for that Canadian FOR X flag 🫣🫣🫣🫣🫣 That's me!!!!!!! Front row for OMEGA X 🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

I miss it so much already and there's so much I could talk about and I will but not right now!! I'll end this post by just saying..

Thank you OMEGA X for being strong and for showing me what this has all been for. This is everything to me... my soulmates... 0.1 하자

[steddieas-shegoes]

This is probably gonna get long and it’s personal and it’s just me having sad feelings so please don’t feel like you need to read ❤️

If it isn’t like really clear from just the way I post about Liam, it’s always just been me and him.

It was just me when I was pregnant (and that’s a hell of a story because I didn’t know I was pregnant until I was already almost four months along), it was me during labor (and my mom but if you’ve ever been in labor with your mom there you know that’s kinda hit or miss), and me 24/7 since he was born.

It’s just me on the birth certificate (even though I could have done things differently).

It’s just me.

And like most of the time, especially as he’s gotten older, I’m pretty okay. Kind of glad actually. I can raise him the way I want to and I know that we have a bond that’s really incredible and unique. I know that because he’s such a good little human, I’m doing alright.

But there are some days (like Father’s Day) where it hits me way harder than it probably will ever hit him that it’s JUST me.

I don’t have a partner in this. I’m 100% responsible 100% of the time for him. Physically, emotionally, financially (hence, the fundraising for hockey).

And it’s not necessarily sadness that we call Father’s Day Papa’s Day instead (he always gets my dad a small gift), but more just an overwhelming feeling of failure?

Even though I know really I’m not failing him, I’m working hard every day to make things better for both of us, days like today are just a reminder that I have to keep doing better.

It’s a lot of pressure.

Every parent feels it regardless of the support they have (and I do have a lot of other support!), but at the end of the day, I’m the only parent he’s got.

He’s never had questions. Honestly, I’ve been mentally prepared for them for years because he’s always been a very curious kid. But not once has he asked about who I refer to as his sperm donor (it’s okay you can laugh it’s a coping mechanism and it’s funny as fuck), and I’ve never felt the need to tell him unless he asks. I’m sure a lot of it is because he has SO many amazing people who love him. My platonic soulmate is his uncle just as much as my sister is his aunt, I’ve lived with my parents since I had him so they’ve been around constantly, we have a second family who always tells us to “come home” when we’re gonna be at hockey for two days in a row.

It sounds whiny because I DO have so much support.

But I think it’s just hard to know that the support I thought I would have wasn’t there and my entire life had to adjust because of it. Liam’s entire life is different because of it.

In the long run, it’s for the better. But some days, like today, it really hits me that we both missed out on something.

I’m also coming down from the adrenaline of last weekend and I always have a hell of a crash after concerts/time with my person/overwhelming things like my first pride. And my period just ended. That definitely doesn’t help.

So if you read this, you’re a real one. I’m not one to shy away from my personal life much, I find a lot of value in sharing things in case someone else feels the same way and is looking for validation. Plus I don’t have insurance/money for a therapist so this is the next best thing!

[this-is-krikkit]

hi!! read you're doing prompts, can you do the 9th? i feel like it's a perfect one for levihan 😂

send me a number and a ship and i'll write a drabble!

thank you for sending this prompt ! it does have undeniable levihan vibes to it 😏

Prompt 9. “You can’t banish me! This is my bed too!”

Zeke (★now edited and posted on ao3 ★)

Characters: Levi, Hange, Zeke

Tags: modern au, levihan, no zekehan or zevi i promise, i just think i'm hilarious sometimes and you guys have to deal with it hehehe, erumike mentioned, tw alcohol mention ig

.

Hange gets out of the shower, puts on the clean shirt Levi had left for them in the bathroom and sneaks into the bedroom quietly. They successfully stop a yelp from escaping and only wince as they bump their toe into their bedside table, and put the miraculously unspilled glass of water they'd brought in with them on it.

They crawl under the duvet quickly, delighted to have made it here just as the hangover headache was starting to make their head throb, and frown as they realize something heavy has taken over most of their side of the bed. They reach back and click their light on, and feel their eyes widening as they take in the sight.

"What the- Levi, what's Zeke doing here?" they ask, way too loud even by their own standards.

"Fuck's sake, four-eyes," Levi moans, voice groggy and dry, "what's it look like? He's sleeping. And so am I, so shut the fuck up and turn the damn light off."

Hange bites their lip to stop themself from commenting on his bed hair or the adorably cranky look on his half asleep face, and obey his order.

Before they swiftly climb over both him and the dog, and stretch their arm far enough to turn on the light on his own bedside instead. They fully laugh when Levi whines again, swearing some more, and the Husky joins his protest with a loud howl.

"And where do I sleep, grumpy-grumps?" Hange asks, fluffing the dog's fur, who quickly calms down at the attention.

"I don't care, just get out of my bed," Levi replies, his voice all muffled from speaking into his pillow as he protects his eyes from the sting of the light.

Hange gasps in faked horror, Zeke looking up at them in concern at the sound.

"You can't banish me! This is my bed too!"

Levi groans again, and blindly feels behind him with his hand.

"Not anymore," he sighs in reflief when he finds his mark and darkness replaces the cruel artificial light. "Now it's mine and Zeke's."

"Right... and since when do you allow this- how'd you put it again- 'overactive drama queen of a hairball', to get on the sheets you love so much and shed all over them?" Hange pushes, genuinely curious.

"Since you leave me for two nights in a row to go on a weekend-long party with your brother and his brainless jock friends. And I was planning on changing the sheets later today anyway," he adds as an afterthought.

"Mike's bachelor party was fun, honey, thank you for asking," Hange replies playfully. "But I still don't understand how that has anything to do with your rules regarding the dog's sleeping-

"For your information, your four legged soulmate here wouldn't stop whining and howling at the front door until I let him come in here," he interrupts in a huff. "I don't know what he was so anxious about, but he had a really hard time sleeping without you around."

Hange's eyes have grown accustomed to the shadows by now, and they don't miss the way Levi stares at Zeke, actively avoiding to look at their own face. They should have known from the minute they came home and Levi was still in bed in the middle of the day that his insomnia had been acting up again, and it twists something in their gut to hear him confess so in his own twisted way, especially when they know he'd been working long hours the week before.

They hum and perch themself back on what little space they've got left on their side of the bed, letting one of their hands land on Levi's pillow to ruffle his hair and massage his scalp as they pet the dog's fur with the other.

"I'm sorry you didn't get to rest properly," they say softly.

Levi sighs, and his fingers link with theirs over the dog's belly.

"From the looks of you right now, I'd say you didn't either," he jokes. "Did you really have fun?"

"So much. I don't see how Erwin's going to beat that next weekend, honestly."

"Well, don't tell him that. He's so competitive he'd do the craziest shit just to try and prove you wrong."

They feel their own grin widening, and Levi chuckles when he spots it.

"Tch, four-eyes..." he warns, shaking his head in faked disapproval.

"Come on, what's the point of being one groom's sibling and the other's best friend if I don't get to mess with them a little?"

They yawn around the end of the sentence, which makes it sound way less villainous than they'd meant.

"Better get some rest while you can, then, evil mastermind," Levi scoffs, failing to hide his own reflex yawn.

Hange vaguely remembers letting out a weak laugh and pinching his nose in retaliation for his mocking tone, before falling into deep slumber.

[apatheticcrossovers]

✨{Introduction}✨

Hello! You may know me from my other blogs. Well, i made a new one, cause I have no sense of impulse control, and I think he need more writing blogs specifically for crossover ships.

About Mod Apathetic

Just call me Mod Apathetic, or Apathetic!

I am an adult

I am a Fudanshi, Himedanshi, Profic, and Anti-hara!

Pangender probably, Any pronouns (no she/her)

My ao3 is ApatheticCrossovers, all requests and stuff will be archived over there!

I also plan on posting original fics here too!

My other blogs are @/Syrups-edit-corner (Edit requests), @/Syrups-fanfic-cafe (General requests), and @/Spookyscaryships (Edit/stim request blog run by both me and my friend)

If you aren't if I write for a certain fandom/topic, just ask please! I have anger issues and I will get extremely aggressive

WHAT I *WILL* DO:

Headcanons

Imagines/Oneshots

Crossover ships (Obviously)

Age gap ships (Including Minor/Minor age gaps, Adult/Adult Age gaps, and Minor/Adult age gaps)

Shipcest (Mainly headcanons cause, yaknow, crossover ships rarely have canon shipcest)

Alternate universes (Including "what if Character A was a canon character in Character B's universe" and Isekai type scenario's)

Yandere content

Ot3's (no more than 3 characters please!)

NSFW

WHAT I *WONT* DO:

Same Source/Series Ships (That included characters from two different games in the same series, and two different shows that take place in the same universe. This rule can be worked around if its an ot3 involving a character from a different source/series)

Satire/Joke ships (I have nothing against these types of ships, they just personally make me feel insecure about my own ships, since I take a lot of comfort in crossover ships /lh /gen.)

Things about active S/H (Things about recovering from S/H or brief mentions of it are fine!)

RPF/Stuff involving real people (Stuff like c!mcyt characters and musicals where the characters are based on real people are on thin ice /srs)

Drug Use/Abuse (Again, recovery is fine) [note: This rule does not and never while apply to weed. Weed is super cool /hj.]

Anything considered Unsanitary/generally gross (if you aren't sure if something would apply to this rule, please ask)

FANDOMS I'M IN:

Ace Attorney

Angels of Death

Animal Crossing

Afterl!fe (yes, even if the fandoms kinda dead)

Baldi’s Basics (+ mod/fangame characters)

Bendy and The Ink Machine

BFDI/BFB

Boyfriend to Death (Both 1 and 2)

Break In 1/2

Bugsnax

Cookie run (Both Ovenbreak and Kingdom)

Creepypasta

Danganronpa (all main games + UDG)

Deltarune

Doki Doki Literature Club

Doors (Roblox)

Eddsworld

Five Nights At Freddy’s series (+ Fangames)

Friday Night Funkin (+ Mods)

Happy Tree friends

Hazbin Hotel

Helluva Boss

Henry Stickmin Series

HLVRAI

Homestuck

Huniepop (both 1 and 2)

Identity V

Inanimate Insanity

Inscryption

Junji Ito

Madness Combat

Minecraft Storymode

Monster Prom

Mortal Combat

My Little Pony

MyStreet

Obey Me! Shall We Date

Object Terror

Okegom

OHSHC

Rainbow Friends (Roblox)

Roblox Myths

Riddle School

Saints Rows series

SCP Foundation

Smile For Me

Sonic Series

South Park

Sr Pelo’s Spooky Month

Steven Universe

Tankmen Series

Telltales TWD Games

The Backrooms

The Nightly Manor

Therapy With Dr. Albert Krueger

Undertale (+ Au’s)

Vincent: Secret of Myers

Welcome Home

Yandere Sim

Your Turn To Die

Zardy’s Field

And more that I currently can’t remember :p

FANDOMS I'M NOT IN BUT I AM FAMILIAR WITH ENOUGH TO WRITE FOR:

DC

Dream SMP (Characters, never the streamers)

Marvel

Genshin Impact

HFJONE

Pizza Tower

Sparklecare Hospital

Spiderverse

Super Danganronpa Another (1 & 2, mainly 2)

Twisted Wonderland

Probably more that I, again, can't remember.

CURRENT REQUESTS:

[Tumblr Inbox]

Hopeless Romantic Part 2 (Millie May x Amy Rose x Moxxie)

Barbatos [Obey Me] x Yuri [DDLC]

Beast Boy [Teen Titans] x Steven Universe [SU] SOulmate AU Headcanons

Vector [Sonic the Hedgehog] x Alphys [Undertale] NSFW

Hellborn Artic Owl!Rarity [MLP] x Stolas [Helluva boss]

Fischl [Genshin Impact] x Gundham Tanaka [Danganronpa] NSFW Headcanons

[Ao3 Inbox]

Yuri [DDLC] x Noelle Holidy [Deltarune]

Donut Joe [MLP] is accusing Soarin's [MLP] new boyfriend, Drago [Animal Crossing], of stealing from his shop, and Soarin doesn't know who to side with.

Glamrock Freddy [FNaF] x Audrey Belrose [Huniepop] NSFW

Golfball [BFDI] x Tennisball [BFDI] x Test Tube [II] Headcanons

Monika [DDLC] x Senpai [FNF]

Collin [Helluva Boss] x Lila [Spooky Month] Short Fic

That's all! Feel free to request stuff from me! I'm always looking for new crossover ships to write about! /gen

[boasamishipper]

Hi, I’m intrigued by the Night Court content I’m seeing from you. How did you start up with this show from 40 years ago? Which episodes give you Harry/Dan vibes? (Truly curious! I’m watching the show rn on FreeVee because of you.)

how did i begin watching night court, you ask?

okay so the story ACTUALLY begins several months earlier. i'd been seeing ads for new night court on tv, and i was like hey!! that's the guy from richie rich!! and so i looked up old night court on tvtropes and ao3, found some fics for the show, skimmed them, and moved on with my life.

THEN in november 2023 i got laid off (corporate reorgs my detested) (dw i have since found a new job) and started looking for non-indeed.com ways to fill my hours. cue another commercial for new night court, which was returning to nbc in january. huh, thought i, jokingly. wonder if anybody on here watches this.

one quick tumblr search informed me that there were, in fact, other people who watched this show. specifically the original show. and then i saw this post, thought 'boy that judge and that prosecutor sure have Something going on' and proceeded to devour all nine seasons over the course of two months. (then i caught up with the reboot and watched s2 as it aired.) i posted my first fic, Zeitnot, nine days after i started watching the show, and told my bestie caroline that now that it was up, i had gotten all of my night court thoughts and feelings out of my system and would shortly go back to finishing my other wips.

(narrator voice) she did not, in fact, get all her night court thoughts and feelings out of her system.

anyway so 90k+ words of night court fic later here i Still Am and here i Still Plan To Be for a good long while.

so why night court?

well, to begin, it's the wildest show i have ever seen in my life. it's set in - you guessed it - the night shift of a manhattan arraignment court during the 1980s. the judge (harry stone, played by harry anderson) is a gangly goofy cutie pie dork who loves magic and mel torme and sees the best in people and has the saddest backstory of any of the cast. the prosecutor (dan fielding, played by john larroquette, who won four emmy awards in a row for this role and would have won more if he hadn't taken himself out of consideration to give someone else a chance to win) is a womanizing lecherous pervert with a heart of gold, a sharp tongue, thick hair, and an ass you can bounce a quarter off of. harry shoots plastic snakes in dan's face in their very first meeting and by the end of the show the two are partners in shenanigans and platonic soulmates and perv4perv best friends. (another anon asked me my top harry/dan episodes; i'll answer that in their ask.) other characters include Tall As Fuck Intimidating Ditzy Bailiff Bull Shannon (richard moll), Spunky Naive Morally Upright Prude Public Defender Christine Sullivan (markie post), Hot Court Clerk Who Is Done With Everyone's Shit But Will Nonetheless Participate In The Shenanigans Mac Robinson (charlie robinson), and a collection of short, snarky, tough as nails bailiffs (selma diamond in s1-2, florence halop in s3, and marsha warfield in s4-s9).

the show is incredibly funny. if you don't like one joke wait five seconds and there will be another, even funnier one. physical comedy galore. hijinks and shenanigans everywhere. logic and realism? don't know her. wile e coyote once showed up as a defendant. dan once got so horny he locked himself in a closet and shoved a firehose down his pants. in another episode bull twisted dan into a human pretzel. it has to be seen to be believed.

but what i love most about night court is its heart (something that the sequel series has not found yet, but that's a rant for another day). the characters (at least as long as reinhold weege was involved with the show - again, a rant for another day) feel like real people. they have real flaws. they make hard decisions. they love with all their hearts, and we love them for it. they hurt, and we hurt with them. and the show - especially in the earlier seasons - balances the heart with the humor incredibly well. in 4.01, harry tries to reach out to his mother, who abandoned him when he was five, only to find out that she died, and the show does not shy away from his pain and conflicted emotions. that's the a-plot of the episode. in the b-plot, a ventriloquist's dummy commits suicide. not the ventriloquist. the dummy. and it's one of the best episodes of a start to finish stellar season.

and if you are still not convinced to give the show a try, watch this compilation of the best dan fielding moments. then watch all nine seasons of night court (available for free on freevee!) for more.